Government is planning to construct a 10,000square hectares lake for Karamoja sub- region. The former Minister for Karamoja Affairs, John Byabagambi made the announcement while handing over the office to his successor, Dr Mary Goretti Kitutu.
He said that the two outstanding immediate assignments awaiting the minister are the construction of a man-made lake at Lopei between the districts of Moroto and Kotido, and fast tracking the gazetting of Mt Moroto as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) heritage site.
“President Museveni and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta have already signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of a lake which will contain 40 million cubic metres of water to reduce insecurity in Karamoja and Pokot pastoralists and generate 6MW of electricity,” he said.
According to Daily Monitor the lake, whose feasibility studies and designs have already been carried out, is expected to cost less than $100m (Shs354.1b) and will serve the districts of Napak, Moroto, Kotido, and Abim, to reduce the distances that the pastoralits have been travelling to access water in the five valley dams and 116 valley tanks that were constructed in the area.
Byabagambi added that the key interventions, which have been realised in Karamoja include peace building, introduction of water for agriculture production where the region now produces food which government is buying, rural electrification and the introduction of dryland integrated development projects.