Nearly half a million people face acute hunger in Karamoja as climate shocks deepen crisis

Urgent food, water and livelihood support needed in a region already strained by recurring climate-related shocks.

• 473,000 people - almost one in three people analysed - faced Crisis levels of acute food insecurity or worse between April and July 2026.
• 41,000 people were in Emergency, while 122,100 children under five are expected to need treatment for acute malnutrition between March 2026 and February 2027.
• Karamoja entered the current crisis already weakened by recurring dry spells and flash floods, environmental degradation, insecurity, disease, weak infrastructure and a poor 2025 harvest.

KAMPALA, UGANDA. 5 August 2026. Nearly half a million people across Uganda’s Karamoja region are struggling to get enough food to eat as families exhaust their food stocks and water stress pushes them deeper into crisis, Oxfam said today.

Persistent erratic weather, poor harvests, weak infrastructure, and rising food costs have repeatedly eroded people’s ability to grow food, protect livestock, and recover between crises.

“People in Karamoja are not just running out of food, they are also running out of options. Climate shocks and long-standing inequalities, including low investment in education and water infrastructure, have steadily stripped away their ability to cope,” said Francis Shanty Odokorach, Oxfam in Uganda Country Director. 

Odokorach added, “Families need urgent support now to buy food, access safe water and protect their livestock, which their recovery depends on. Although the government has provided support, it remains insufficient to meet the scale of need amid constrained humanitarian funding.”

According to the IPC, only 54.1 per cent of households still had food stocks, and in most districts, food stocks are expected to last less than a month. At the same time, crop and livestock pests, limited access to seeds and wildlife damage to fields have added further pressure.

“In Kotido District, the prolonged dry spell has wiped out gardens of crops, especially in Napumpum Sub-county. The ground is all dry and bare. You can visibly see people, especially children, very hungry. Families have run out of food early and are now forced to skip meals. Livestock are also suffering from a lack of water and pasture. People really need support,” said Lokiru Musa Hassan, Project Officer at Oxfam in Uganda.

Children and mothers are bearing a particularly heavy burden. The IPC estimates that 122,100 children aged 6-59 months are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition and require treatment between March 2026 and February 2027, including 30,600 children with severe acute malnutrition. A further 8,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition during the same period.

Although the IPC projects a seasonal improvement during the August 2026-February 2027 harvest period, an estimated 352,000 people are still expected to remain in Crisis. Kaabong, Karenga, Kotido, Moroto and Napak are projected to remain in IPC Phase 3.

 Any improvement will depend on rainfall, market conditions and timely assistance.
Government and donors must act quickly and flexibly, while investing in locally led solutions that can help communities withstand the next shock.

Oxfam's planned response

Oxfam in Uganda is planning a two-phase response across five Karamoja districts, in coordination with government, local partners and affected communities. Immediate support will include food and cash assistance, safe water, drought-tolerant seeds and livestock support. Longer-term efforts will focus on climate-smart agriculture, water harvesting, livelihood recovery and early-warning systems.

“This response must be shaped with communities, not simply delivered to them,” Odokorach said. “Women, young people, older people and people with disabilities must be able to access assistance safely, provide feedback and influence the decisions that affect their lives.”

Oxfam is calling on the Government of Uganda, donors and humanitarian agencies to:

• Rapidly provide flexible funding for food assistance, safe water, nutrition services and livelihood protection;
• Prioritise coordinated, evidence-led action in the hardest-hit districts, while ensuring support reaches people according to need;
• Direct more resources to local organisations and community-led responses, including safe and accessible feedback mechanisms; and
• Combine immediate humanitarian assistance with long-term investment in climate-resilient food systems, water infrastructure, early warning and anticipatory action.