By Weswa Ronnie
MOROTO
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged the people of Karamoja to use the Emyooga government programme and the peace he has restored in the area to transform the region in terms of development.
The President’s message was delivered on Sunday, 25th October, 2026 by John Baptist Lokii, the Minister for Karamoja Affairs who also doubles as the NRM Vice Chairperson for Karamoja region. He represented the President as Guest of Honour during the Golden Jubilee celebrations (50 years of existence) and fundraising drive for the Bishop’s House of Karamoja Diocese, Moroto.
The fundraising and celebrations brought together political leaders from the Karamoja sub region, Pokot from neighbouring Kenya, religious leaders and Christians from the diocese.
While delivering the President’s speech, Lokii said Karamoja is one of the regions in the country faced with poverty, underdevelopment and hunger, but people can easily transform the region by embracing government programmes, especially Emyooga.
He said that years ago, Karamoja faced numerous insecurity challenges which hindered development, but since the NRM government started the disarmament exercise, the region is now peaceful.
Museveni said the government introduced the Emyooga programme to address household poverty and youth unemployment, and Ugandans especially people of Karamoja region must embrace it.
Davinia Esther Anyakun, the State Minister for Karamoja Affairs, urged the people of Karamoja to take the Emyooga programme seriously so that they can transform their lives.
Rita Namuwenge, the National Coordinator of the State House Emyooga Monitoring and Coordination Unit, said her team is and will be in the Karamoja sub-region for the whole of this week and that Hon. Harshidah Musherure Kuteesa, the State Minister in charge of Microfinance, will join them in conducting socio-economic transformation work in the region as directed by the President through the Emyooga programme.
She said they will ascertain the progress of the Emyooga programme in the region and ensure that defaulters pay back the money so that other members can access it at their SACCOs.
Namuwenge added that Karamoja is one of the regions in the country that has registered poor recovery of funds under the Emyooga programme, but the initiative by the State House Emyooga Monitoring and Coordination Unit and the Minister will improve recovery so that others can benefit.
“As the President said in his speech, this is the only government programme that has targeted the youth, elders, women, veterans and other categories of people, so I see no reason why the people of Karamoja should remain in poverty,” Namuwenge said.
Canon Joshua Agan, the Chairman of the Development Committee of Karamoja Diocese, Moroto, expressed his happiness with the President’s message, saying the Karamoja sub-region is still lagging behind because the majority of people believe in cattle rustling rather than involving themselves in government programmes like Emyooga to change their lives and the region.
He said that as diocese leaders they lobbied Bishop vehicle from the President, but the house accommodating the him is too small and old, which forced them to organise the fundraising on the same day as the Jubilee celebrations marking 50 years of the diocese’s existence since it was carved out of Soroti Diocese.
