Moroto, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Authorities at Moroto Regional Referral Hospital have raised concern over a surge in cases o severe acute malnutrition among children across the Karamoja sub-region.
According to a hospital report, severe acute malnutrition has increased by 12.5% in the last 10 months. The hospital has treated 445 children through inpatient care and 475 through outpatient services.
Dr. Stephen Pande, the hospital director, said the facility is overwhelmed by the increasing number of malnourished children.
“We are currently managing 18 cases in the inpatient treatment centre and 69 in the outpatient centre,” he said.
Pande revealed that they have successfully treated about 80% of inpatient cases and 100% of outpatient cases.
He added that the hospital has implemented a comprehensive program involving nutritional assessments, classification of malnutrition types, and management across all hospital entry points.
Despite these efforts, Pande cited challenges such as limited working and admission space, shortages of essential supplies, and inadequate caregiver support. He noted that some caregivers flee due to lack of food, as the hospital only provides food to sick children—not their mothers or guardians—due to limited funding.
The concerns were echoed during World Nutrition Day commemorations held Wednesday at Moroto Boma Grounds, organized by the Ugandan Parliamentarian Alliance for Food and Nutrition Security, in partnership with World Vision, Action Against Hunger, Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Uganda, World Food Programme, UNICEF, among others.
The event ran under the theme: “Empowering Nutrition and Empowering Better Nutrition for People.” The partners pledged to intensify efforts to combat malnutrition in the region. Edward Khaukha, Regional Programs Manager for World Vision Northern and Karamoja, said they are committed to improving child and maternal nutrition at the household level.
Khaukha emphasized interventions like school feeding programs, school gardens, and kitchen gardens, and urged the government to fast-track the National School Feeding Policy to ensure structured implementation.
He also called for urgent action on the Food and Nutrition Policy, noting that while malnutrition has declined from 29% to 22%, the figure remains above the national average and requires stronger policy and implementation efforts.
Lawrence Kanakulya, an advocacy program officer at PELUM-Uganda, said Karamoja has the agricultural potential to feed itself but is still struggling with malnutrition.
He stressed the need to promote traditional and indigenous foods, which are naturally nutritious, but are often ignored. Kanakulya urged the government to support sustainable farming systems and help communities embrace traditional food production.
He also revealed that partners are working with the Ministry of Agriculture to develop a national agroecology strategy, which will guide future interventions and help boost local food systems.
Milton Muwuma, MP for Kigulu South and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Alliance on Food and Nutrition Security, said the region’s overreliance on aid has sustained food insecurity.
“Let’s talk about the problem itself. It’s 2025. People are still dying. The malnutrition rates are high. In the last quarter, over 1,000 cases of both acute and moderate malnutrition were registered in the region. What is the issue?” he asked.
Muwuma called for massive community sensitization and urged the government to adopt some of the interventions currently spearheaded by development partners, warning that relying on NGOs alone is unsustainable.
Peter Eceru, Head of Advocacy at Action Against Hunger, stressed that Uganda is far from achieving its nutrition targets. “We had targeted to reduce stunting to 19% by the end of this year, but according to the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey, the rate remains at 26%,” he said.
He noted that in Karamoja, the situation is far worse. “While the national average for stunting is 26%, Karamoja stands at 43.9%. That means for every two children you meet, one is stunted,” Eceru said.
He warned that without urgent intervention, half of Karamoja’s future adult population may suffer long-term effects of malnutrition.
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