Members of Parliament from Lango sub-region have accused government of neglecting the area in the current food relief distribution.
Addressing journalists at Parliament on Tuesday, MPs led by their Chairperson Felix Okot Ogong said many people from Lango are suffering and dying of hunger just like in Karamoja and Teso regions but no single food delivery has reached the area.
“There is a deliberate segregation going on in the distribution of food to the hungry people in the country. Lango is facing much hunger just like Karamoja and Teso but nothing is coming to us,” Okot-Ogong said.
He said the MPs were giving government a one week ultimatum to take food to Lango or they would declare to the locals that there is no government in place for them.
“The Prime Minister and the disaster minister are aware of the hunger in Lango. We want President Museveni to take to our people food now,” he stressed.
Meanwhile the Ajuri county MP, Denis Hamson Obua said Lango region accommodated Karamojongs when severe drought hit their area.
“We welcomed Karamajongs when they were looking for water and pasture. They uprooted the cassava of our people and it is mainly the cause of famine in Lango,” Obua said.
The Oyam woman representative, Santa Alum said women are suffering the most.
“Traditionally women are supposed to put food on table for the family. Women are falling from mango trees and dying in search of food,” Ms. Alum said.
Just this week, the Office of the Prime Minister announced that they would be distributing relief food to the urban poor people in Mbarara Municipality in Western Uganda.
The OPM revealed that it would give out 600bags of food to Mbarara on the request of the area MP.