Labwor County Member of Parliament in Abim district, Michael Ayepa.

Labwor County Member of Parliament in Abim district, Michael Ayepa, has defended the people of Karamonja saying they are not lazy as many Ugandans tend to portray them.

Ayepa says for Government and other Humanitarian agencies extending handouts to the people facing food shortage does not mean that the people are lazy and cannot work hard to earn a living.

He said shortage of food in Karamoja is as a result of bad weather and poor climate which he said is the cause of food shortage in the region.

Ayepa tasked Government to support the people with the capacity like tractors because most households have plenty of land but cannot utilize it due to luck of capacity to produce on a large scale.

Ayepa while commenting on the seeds that are given to farmers in Karamoja to plant noted that it’s unfair for Government to distribute seeds without consulting farmers on when they are supposed to plant.

Farmers weeding a maize field in Karamoja.

He noted that most seeds have failed to germinate because of poor timing of the season and warned leaders to stop taking the people for granted and must learn how to handle issues accordingly like in other areas.