Key informants suggested that, despite the fees involved, 

poorer children were more

likely to be receiving food from school feeding than rich children

, as they were not

required for herding and tended to be nearer to urban centres   [ref 66].

This finding contrasts with Kitui in Kenya (see Appendix 3, A3.2.a), but agrees with comments from

Garissa (Appendix 3.2.d.),  raising the question whether the observation can be generalized to

other pastoralist areas.

2.2.b.  Government food aid

Unlike its neighbors, the Ugandan Government no longer (since the privatization of the National

Produce Marketing Board) maintains a physical grain reserve.  Instead, relief food is purchased

when needed.

The targeting of government food aid resources at national level is decided in principle by the

National Inter Sectoral Committee on Disaster Management with the DDM, acting mainly on

information from the District authorities (CAOs). However, any relief allocation decisions which

surpass the very limited budget of the DDM must then be submitted for funding to the Treasury,

which frequently provides less assistance than requested [interview with DDM Commissioner].

WFP has estimated that  the Relief / Disaster Management Department's own budget   has since

1993 averaged  . sufficient to purchase, transport and distribute only 80 90 MT of relief food ,

although additional funds from the Treasury have raised the relief budget to as much as sixty times

this level (from US$ 35,000 to US$ 2.1 million) [WFP Country Strategy p15, ref 74].   For the

future, there are plans for a dedicated emergency relief fund under the Treasury.

The study team was not able to determine the total quantity of government relief food provided in

1997, but it appears to have been a much smaller factor than in Tanzania or Kenya. In the Eastern

drought relief operation, the 15% of food needs which the government agreed to cover under

EMOP 5883 did not materialize, though small amounts of government purchased food do seem to

have been distributed during the year.  In Mbale (see section 2.2.d. below) the District government

was able to purchase some food for local distribution to flood victims from its own funds:  it is not

known if other Districts had done the same.

Within the Districts, government food was targeted in the same way as the WFP provided drought

relief, as described below.

2.2.c.  Focus area 1:  Kumi and Tororo Districts

Field work in Uganda was undertaken in three of the Eastern Districts worst hit by drought during

1997: two of them (Mbale and Tororo) also received food assistance following the El Nino

flooding.  The study focus was on drought relief in Kumi and Tororo Districts, and flood relief in

Mbale.

As noted above, both government and WFP drought relief was distributed free through local

government channels.  Commenting on the initial (April 1997) distributions, WFP noted that the

limited resources and capacity of the District Disaster Management Committees had caused

problems with targeting:

  random samples of the LC [Local Council] beneficiary  lists taken by WFP assessment

teams confirmed that they represent the most needy , but  although the identification of

beneficiaries was a commendable exercise, there was pressure on district authorities to

distribute food equably across several sub counties instead of concentrating on given

areas for maximum nutritional impact   [WFP EMOP 5833 project document, ref 72]

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