Uganda: How Women are Still Walking Miles for Water and Paying the Price

Mar 22, 2026 | Ronald Musoke
The Independent
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In the vast, sun-scorched plains of Uganda’s northeastern region of Karamoja, the search for water begins before the day has properly broken. In scattered homesteads across this semi-arid region, women and girls set out in small groups at dawn, balancing empty jerrycans against their hips or heads as they begin the long trek to distant water points. The journey is often measured not in minutes, but in hours.

The land here is unforgiving. Seasons of drought have become more frequent, and water sources, already sparse, can dry up without warning. When that happens, the journey grows longer, the burden heavier. By the time the women return, the sun is high and relentless, and the containers they carry are no longer empty. Each one weighs heavily, a physical reminder of a task repeated day after day, year after year.

In Karamoja, water is not simply a resource. It is a daily obligation, one that shapes the rhythm of life and defines the boundaries of opportunity. For girls, it often determines whether they will attend school or stay behind to help their families, and for women, it limits the time available for work, for rest, for participation in community life.