President Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday officiated at the 11th edition of the Karamoja Cultural Event at Naitakwae Grounds in Moroto District, where he hailed the restoration of peace through disarmament and announced a new strategy to strengthen food security in the sub-region.

The week-long festival, organised by the Karamoja Cultural Association, runs from 6 to 12 September 2026 under the theme “Unity in Culture, Strength in Peace, Prosperity Through Tourism and Natural Resources.” It has drawn an estimated 15,000 participants from the wider Ateker cluster, including the Karamojong, Iteso, Ethur, Ik and Tepeth communities, as well as the Turkana and Pokot from Kenya, the Toposa from South Sudan and the Nyangatom from Ethiopia.

Addressing the gathering, Museveni attributed Karamoja’s improving development prospects to the success of the government’s disarmament programme. He said the State had recovered approximately 41,000 illegal guns from the region, significantly reducing insecurity and cattle raids.

The President particularly thanked women for their role in the initial stages of the disarmament exercise and commended individuals who helped expose commercial networks behind cattle raiding. He also praised efforts to support former members of the Karacuna groups to abandon violence and embrace productive livelihoods, noting that people previously involved in conflict could transform when given peaceful opportunities to earn a living.

Museveni further directed that Fr Raphael Lobere be awarded a medal for his contribution to restoring peace in Karamoja.

On the economic front, the President unveiled a three-phase food stabilisation strategy aimed at helping households withstand recurrent droughts and progressively reduce dependence on emergency food relief. He noted that the Government is currently distributing food relief worth about Shs 45 billion to drought-affected areas.

The short-term phase will focus on providing climate-resilient seed varieties and livestock suited to the region’s conditions. Medium- and long-term interventions will shift communities towards irrigation-supported and commercial agriculture, including the construction of large dams.

“Therefore, Karamoja is a fertile area, but it’s because of water body encroachment. Therefore, we are going to put up big projects to support irrigation in Karamoja, like big dams,” Museveni said.

He also called for a cultural audit, urging communities to retain positive traditional practices while discarding those that hinder progress.

“I think you should do a cultural audit. There are some things in your culture which are good and others which are not good. Keep the good ones and abandon the bad ones,” the President told the gathering.

Vice President Jessica Alupo and Minister for Karamoja Affairs John Baptist Lokii were among the leaders present. Lokii appealed for flexibility on the recovery of Parish Development Model funds from beneficiaries in the sub-region given the prolonged drought.

The festival continues until 12 September with cultural performances, dialogues, sports and traditional ceremonies, underscoring the region’s growing stability and cultural pride after years of insecurity.