Child malnutrition rises sharply in Uganda as El Niño-linked dry spells take their toll

KAMPALA,10 September 2026 – The number of acutely malnourished children in the Karamoja region of northeastern Uganda is expected to rise by 25% by October 2026 with El Niño-related dry spells significantly impacting children’s health, Save the Children said. New figures from global hunger monitor, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), shows the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition has risen from 122,100 to 154,200 since a previous assessment in June, This means 32,100 additional children now require malnutrition support. This includes an estimated 38,800 children suffering or expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition, the worst form of malnutrition which requires urgent medical attention. The figures show general food insecurity in Uganda's Karamoja region, which is home to about 1.6 million people, has worsened dramatically in just a few months, with the numbers facing crisis or emergency situations rising by more than 40%. The number of people facing emergency food insecurity conditions has nearly tripled, with households exhausting resources, skipping multiple meals, or running out of food entirely. Drought-prone parts of Uganda and East Africa are feeling the effects of the super El Niño, with below-average rainfall contributing to lower harvests, reduced agricultural output, and localized crop failures, and plant stress, said Save the Children. The Karamoja region has a long history of severe droughts and deadly famines driven by a hot, dry climate, civil unrest, and repeated crop failures. A devastating famine in 1980, which was triggered by a combination of extreme drought and civil unrest, caused up to 50,000 deaths, killing about 21% of the population. Decades later, reports from the UN's Africa Renewal publication demonstrate that the area remains highly vulnerable, with climate change, poor infrastructure, and ongoing insecurity routinely pushing hundreds of thousands back into critical food crises. Martha Ddambya, Save the Children’s Acting Country Director in Uganda, said: "Our teams in Karamoja are seeing the impact of this crisis every day. Families tell us they have less food to put on the table, harvests have been poor, and more children are arriving at health facilities malnourished and in need of urgent support. For parents, there is nothing more frightening than watching a child go hungry and not knowing where the next meal will come from. The sharp rise in child malnutrition should be a warning that the situation is deteriorating and that thousands more children are at risk unless action is taken now. "Save the Children is working, in coordination with the Government of Uganda, alongside communities in Karamoja to help children access treatment, improve nutrition, and support families to grow food and earn an income, but the scale of need is growing. But our work is just a drop in the ocean - there is critical need for multisectoral support in anticipation of and response to the crisis affecting the Karamoja region and surrounding areas. "We urgently need increased funding to reach vulnerable children before conditions worsen further, and we need a stronger response to the impacts of El Niño and recurring drought. Investing now will save lives, protect children's health, and help families withstand the climate shocks that are becoming an increasingly harsh reality across the region." Save the Children supports children and families across Karamoja to access nutritious food and build more secure futures. Working alongside local communities and the government of Uganda, the organisation is responding to the current crisis by supporting early identification and referral of cases of malnutrition, capacity strengthening for the health workers in the designated treatment centres and empowering communities to treat malnutrition in children using locally available resources. Save the Children is also supporting coordination to prevent duplication of interventions [1]. Save the Children has been operating in Uganda since 1959 and works across the country to ensure children can survive, learn and be protected, with programmes focused on education, child protection, health and nutrition, child rights governance, and humanitarian response. ENDS Notes to editors: [1] Save the Children’s response is based on the government of Uganda’s National Karamoja Food, Nutrition and Health Crisis Response plan July-Dec 2026. This support is in addition to the recent interventions in the region including mass screenings for malnutrition, capacity strengthening of community health workers, livelihoods and food security through goats distribution and provision of water for production through micro and major irrigation schemes, and education support among others ******************************************************************************************************************* For further enquiries please contact: Delfhin Mugo, Media Manager – Africa, based in NAIROBI Delfhin.Mugo@savethechildren.org Our media out of hours (GMT) contact is media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409 Please also check our X account @Save_GlobalNews for news alerts, quotes, statements and location Vlogs.