The launch was held in Kaabong District, where the first beneficiaries from Sidok Sub-county received food rations as government commenced the rollout of relief supplies across the region.
Area leaders said about 1.3 million kilograms of maize flour and beans had already been delivered to the Kaabong warehouse ahead of the distribution exercise.
The emergency food programme follows a prolonged dry spell that severely disrupted agricultural production, leaving thousands of households without sufficient food.
Under the intervention coordinated by the Office of the Prime Minister, a total of 9,419,610 kilograms of relief food—comprising maize flour and dry beans—will be distributed to 313,987 households in 480 parishes across Karamoja's nine districts.
Speaking during the launch, the Minister for Karamoja Affairs, John Baptist Lokii, urged residents to use the food responsibly and warned against selling the relief supplies.
“I call upon the people of Karamoja to use this food sparingly because it is meant to sustain families through this difficult period. This food is not for sale, and anyone found selling it will face the full force of the law,” Lokii said.
He thanked President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for responding swiftly to the worsening food situation through the Office of the Prime Minister.
The state minister for Karamoja Affairs, Esther Anyakun, said the emergency response brings together several government agencies and development partners to support different categories of vulnerable people.
“The intervention is holistic. UNICEF will support the feeding of children under five years, the World Food Programme will provide meals for school-going children, while government, through the Office of the Prime Minister, will provide relief food to vulnerable households,” Anyakun said.
She commended President Museveni for authorising the emergency intervention, saying the prompt response would help save lives as the region battles one of its worst food shortages in recent years.
Karamoja has periodically experienced food insecurity due to erratic rainfall, prolonged dry spells and low agricultural productivity, prompting government and humanitarian agencies to implement emergency relief interventions while pursuing longer-term resilience programmes.
The food distribution exercise is expected to continue across all nine districts of Karamoja in the coming weeks as government races to reach vulnerable households affected by the prolonged drought.