On 6th May 2025, the Department for Critical Thinking and Alternative Analysis at the Karamoja Anti-Corruption Coalition published an article in Watchdog News titled “Donors Interested in Karamoja: Support Karamoja NGOs by Funding Them Directly.” Today, we express our appreciation to the embassies of Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Ireland for their efforts to transform donor support in Karamoja.
Through the Partnerships on Accountability, Civic Engagement, and Rights (PACER) programme, RIAMIRIAM Civil Society Network–Karamoja, supported by these embassies, has been conducting due diligence assessments of selected NGOs and community-based organisations (CBOs) across the sub-region. The aim is to channel financial support directly to local organisations through RIAMIRIAM.
For our team, dedicated to critical thinking and alternative analysis, this development represents progress towards a central objective of our previous writings: a transformed Karamoja where local NGOs are no longer treated merely as “implementing machines” or “invoice collectors” by larger organisations described as “lead agencies” in consortium arrangements.
RIAMIRIAM Partnership Officer
Writing about Karamoja in 1993, Wabwire identified the limited involvement of local communities in meaningful development planning as a major challenge associated with international agencies and donors. Three decades later, that concern remains relevant.
We particularly appreciate the Royal Danish Embassy for demonstrating confidence in indigenous organisations such as RIAMIRIAM, enabling them to support other local NGOs and CBOs. Importantly, these organisations now have opportunities to develop, submit, and defend their own funding proposals, rather than implement priorities determined elsewhere.
During an interview, Ederu Magdalena, Senior Partnership and Capacity Building Officer at RIAMIRIAM, observed: “Even the local government leaders are positive about this initiative, and they commended the embassies for focusing on indigenous organisations.”
Indeed, Karamoja’s development challenge is not necessarily a lack of funding, but how development aid has historically been designed, managed, and delivered. For decades, conventional approaches have reduced local organisations to temporary beneficiaries rather than meaningful partners in setting development priorities, weakening local ownership and undermining sustainability.
The emerging partnership between RIAMIRIAM and the Royal Danish Embassy therefore offers an opportunity to rethink traditional aid models. By prioritising locally led organisations, this initiative brings renewed hope for stronger community participation, institutional capacity, accountability, and sustainable development across Karamoja.
Ultimately, genuine transformation requires more than transferring funds. It demands trust in local institutions, respect for community knowledge, and freedom for indigenous organisations to define development priorities, manage resources responsibly, and shape Karamoja’s future.
Ayub Mukisa, PhD, writes from the Department for Critical Thinking and Alternative Analysis at the Karamoja Anti-Corruption Coalition (KACC).
The post Dr.Ayub Mukisa: A New Era of Aid in Karamoja: How Riamiriam Civil Society, Through the PACER Initiative, Is Restoring Hope appeared first on Watchdog Uganda.