KANUNGU PEOPLE DIDN’T DIE OF HUNGER- DR.BARYOMUNSI
By Deo Okoodi
In Kanungu—
The state minister for housing and urban development who is also the MP for Kinkiizi East;Dr Chris Baryomunsi has refuted reports that 15people in the district died to famine that has hit the area.
Baryomunsi says although famine has hit the district, people died as a result of pre-existing health conditions which he believes worsens as a result of insufficient food in the body.
He adds that children are compelled to get into early marriages just for survival as family heads end up abandoning them for failure to provide them food.
He was responding to his fellow MP Kinkiizi west Hon.James Kaberuka who said 15 people in Kanungu district have starved to death since February 2017 due to famine that has hit the district. Majority of them were women and children.
The legislators revealed this on Tuesday when President Yoweri Museveni was in Kihiihi sub-county Kanunga district to provide a lasting solution for the hungry people in the area who are experiencing famine as
a result of prolonged drought.
Kihiihi which is a low land zone that lies along the western rift valley
was hit by the drought for two years hence causing 60 per cent crop
failure. Most cereal crops maize plants, beans, rice, sweat potatoes
were badly hit living people with almost no food to eat at all.
Frank Byaruhanga said that the prevailing food insecurity situation is
now forcing people to migrate to the neighbouring country of
Democratic Republic of Congo where some amount of rain fall is still
received.
Dr TumwesigyeAlosius the Kanungu district acting production officer
said most of the soils found in Kihiihi are sandy and can easily be
affected when there is limited rain.
Dr Chris Baryomunsi said although famine in Kanungu is now compelling
young children to get into early marriage just for survival heads
families end up abandoning them for failure to provide them what to
eat. He however refuted reports that those who died was due to
starvation saying they could have died as a result of pre-existing
health conditions which he believes worsens as a result of
insufficient food in the body.
KinkiziDiocesean Bishop Dan Zoreka promised to mobilize and donate
food to the affected families in Kihiihi and asked the president to
enforce environment law and evict people who are degrading wet lands.
The president later on promised to use solar powered water pumps to
pump water from river Ntungwa so as to help people access water for
irrigation as a permanent solution to the problem is being worked by
the government.
He gave the fast growing and drought resistant seeds to plant besides
giving them relief food items which 10.000 kilograms of beans, 50.000
kilograms of rice and 55.000 kilograms of posho as well.
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