Normadic communities especially in the Karamoja sub region are facing climate change related effects currently.

Environmental experts have asked government to aggressively consider engaging pastoral communities in issues of climate change so that they can  understand the burden and adaptive mechanisms to mitigate climate change effects since their activities are contributing to changes in climate.

Speaking at a forum on engaging pastoral communities on enhancing adaptive capacity of climate change, held at Wash and Wills hotel in Mbale last week, the Representative from Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association (OSEIA), Francis Akorikin, said that these communities have for long been left out in national decision making yet their activities are grossly contributing to adverse change in the country’s climate or environment trends and thus the need to equip them with basic adaptive mechanisms to combat climate change.

However, the deputy executive director, Environment management for livelihood improvement, EMLI-Bwaise facility, Bakika Robert, said pastoralists have greatly contributed to changes in climate and that this contributes 0.2 tons of carbon per hectare annually through emissions which negatively impact on the climate of Uganda thus the need to engage these communities in the cattle corridor.

In a related development, elders from Karamoja who included: Jackson Angella and Margaret Lomonyang among others vehemently state that although government has tried to integrate their communities into growing crops, there is more need to have the communities sensitized on the dangers of wasting the environment as well as considering plans the locals have in place to adapt to the changing situations rather than forcing on them what government thinks will work in these communities.

Stephen Muwaya, a senior range ecologist.

Stephen Muwaya, a senior range ecologist said that there are policies in the offing that are geared towards addressing pastoral activities in Uganda to provide a co-existence of these communities.
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Over 42% of Uganda’s land lies in the cattle corridor where pastoral activities are carried out which then calls for their engagement by all partners starting with government.

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