Parliament has questioned the financing and accountability framework for the proposed 15.1 trillion-shilling, 10-year Karamoja Regional Development Plan, calling for a review of previous government investments in the region before the new programme is implemented.
The plan, covering the financial years 2025/26 to 2034/35, seeks to transform Karamoja from a predominantly nomadic and agro-pastoralist society into a more settled and commercially productive region.
However, when Minister for Karamoja Affairs John Baptist Lokii and his junior minister, Esther Anyakun, appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Presidential Affairs on Thursday, MPs questioned whether the government had established what happened to previous investments in the region and why some interventions failed to deliver lasting results.
Oyam South MP Patrick Obura asked the ministry to provide a detailed breakdown of the 15.1 trillion shillings, rather than presenting the funding as a broad pool expected from the government, local authorities, development partners, the private sector and civil society.
Under the proposed financing framework, 55 percent of the plan’s funding is expected from the Government of Uganda, 3.8 percent from locally raised revenue, 17.4 percent from external support, 23.7 percent from the private sector, and 0.7 percent from civil society organisations and academia.
The ministry indicated that implementation will, however, depend on the availability of the projected financial resources.
Presenting the plan to MPs, Minister Lokii outlined several flagship investments, including a proposed 7.2-kilometre man-made lake at Lopei, as directed by President Yoweri Museveni.
Other proposed projects include bulk water transfer from Lake Bisina, indigenous seed production, livestock processing facilities, industrial parks, education and health infrastructure, electrification and road development.
The committee is seeking greater clarity on how the proposed investments will be financed, monitored and accounted for, as well as lessons from previous interventions in Karamoja before the new 10-year programme is rolled out.
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