Drought episodes have been on the increase in the semi- arid areas of Uganda with harmful effects like crop failure, and human and livestock mortality, among others. There are barely any studies that have examined why agro- pastoral communities take specific actions in coping with drought. This study examined the factors influencing the choice of coping strategies to drought and the reasons for response and nonresponse. The study was conducted in the semi-arid Karamoja sub-region of Uganda using a crosssectional household survey on 305 households. A multinomial logistic model was used to analyze the factors that determine the choice of coping strategy by households against drought events. The results indicate that coping was positively influenced by distance to the nearest water source, access to drought information and training on drought management. Livelihood support, amount of arable land owned and frequency of receiving information from Drought Early Warning Systems (DEWS) had a positive significant effect on response. To enhance response capabilities, there is need to improve livelihoods and frequent dissemination of information on impending drought.