Agago tops Acholi sub-region in malnutrition, study finds

__________________

Agago District has been identified as having the highest number of malnutrition cases in the Acholi sub-region according to a report promulgated on May 17, 2024, by Love One+ International.

Malnutrition which is a serious public health concern that can have detrimental effects on individuals, especially children and pregnant women, is at 25 percent in Agago district followed by Amuru district with 18 percent and Gulu district with 16 percent.

Jennifer Auma Odong, the Love One+ Internationa country director who presented the four-year project research report to stakeholders at Bomah Hotel in Gulu city, blamed malnutrition on food insecurity, poor parenting and poor feeding coupled with abject poverty in most households in the Acholi sub-region.

She revealed that over the past four years, they supported over 2,146 affected children representing 98 percent of their beneficiaries.

Leonard Opio Ojok, the Agago district chairman acknowledged the high rate of malnutrition in the district attributing it to the relentless attacks on the locals by the suspected Karamojong cattle raiders as well as stray elephants from Kidepo Valley National Park that interfered with people’s livelihoods and resulted to food insecurity.

Meanwhile, Douglas Peter Okello Okao, the Omoro district chairman called upon all stakeholders to help deal with the challenges that directly or indirectly cause malnutrition including teenage pregnancy.


Uganda is estimated to spend $718m (about sh2.6b) a year to combat malnutrition, about 5.6% of the country's gross domestic product.