KAMPALA, UGANDA — Nearly 3.4 million people across Uganda, encompassing both national populations and those in refugee settlements, faced high levels of acute food insecurity—classified as Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Phase 3 (Crisis) or worse—between April and July 2025.
The grim findings, released by Minister of State for Animal Industry Bright Kanyontore Rwamirama, highlighted a deepening humanitarian challenge and a severe malnutrition crisis. The report projects that an estimated 485,000 children ages 6 to 59 months and 91,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women will suffer from acute malnutrition between April 2025 and March 2026.
The analysis confirmed the Karamoja region as the most severely affected area, with eight of its nine districts classified in Phase 3. Kotido recorded the highest proportion of its population in Crisis or worse conditions at 40 percent, followed by Kaabong, Napak and Moroto, each at 30 percent. Among the 13 refugee settlements analyzed, all were in Phase 3 (Crisis). Overall, 48 percent of refugee residents, about 920,000 people, were food insecure, with 76,000 of those in Phase 4 (Emergency).
Officials cited a combination of factors driving the acute food insecurity: poor rainfall and prolonged dry spells, economic challenges like high prices for staples, conflict and displacement, and reduced food assistance.
Alex Bambona, assistant commissioner for Food and Nutrition Security at the Ministry of Agriculture, characterized the situation as a “historical moment” and pointed to climate change as the cross-cutting key factor. Bambona, who chairs the IPC for Food Security Analysis Technical Working Group, noted that between 2.4 million and 4 million people face an Emergency food security phase, or IPC Phase 4.
The severity of the crisis was underscored by UNICEF’s head of nutrition program, Zakaria Fusheini, who stated that an estimated 49 children become wasted every hour, or more than 1,000 daily. Fusheini warned that 14 children die every hour from malnutrition-related causes.
“This situation is unacceptable in a country that possesses an abundance of food resources,” Fusheini said, attributing the issue to a failing food system and a staggering 90 percent child food poverty rate.
Malnutrition data was particularly alarming in the Karamoja region, where Moroto district reported the highest Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) prevalence at 20.4 percent. Refugee settlements, including Adjumani, Bidibidi and Palorinya, also reported a deterioration in acute malnutrition compared to 2024.
Carol Sparks, coordinator for external engagement at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), warned that the worsening food and nutrition situation among refugees is compounded by severely reduced global funding. Sparks stressed that deeper food ration cuts and limited livelihood opportunities are driving the climb in household food insecurity.
While the report projects a sharp decrease in acute food insecurity between August 2025 and February 2026—with the number of people in IPC Phase 3 or above expected to fall to 2.1 million—all 13 refugee settlements and five national districts are expected to remain in Phase 3.
To address the challenges, Minister Rwamirama outlined the government’s food system transformation strategy, which focuses on water-for-production and climate-smart agriculture. The report urges a coordinated response, recommending immediate and long-term actions: humanitarian assistance, scaling up nutrition services to treat acute malnutrition, and boosting WASH and resilience efforts.
