President Museveni on 16 May issued Executive Order No. 3 of 2023 to avert anti-cattle rustling by undisciplined nomads known as the Balaalo in the North and North-Eastern regions of Uganda.
The
implementation of an Executive Order by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to
evict nomadic herdsmen from Northern Uganda by the end of June 2023 has been
deferred to September.
This was
communicated by Gen. David Muhoozi, the Minister of State for Internal Affairs
during a plenary sitting chaired by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa on Wednesday
following reports of the continued presence of the armed pastoralists in the
region.
Speaking on a matter of national importance, Maj. (Rtd) Dr. Jallon
Anthony Okullo Aabuka, the Lamwo County legislator had informed the House
that armed raids at gunpoint by the Karamojong warriors and insecurity due to
Balaalo nomads are persisting in Northern Uganda.
Dr. Okullo cited
the Agoro, Madi-Opei, Paloga, Potika, Nimu, and Lokung sub-counties as being
the most affected in Lamwo District causing displacement of the population and
their livestock in search for protection.
//Cue in; “I rise
on a matter…
Cue out…
activities on the land.”//
Cecilia Atim
Ogwal, the Dokolo District Woman Representative reiterated that the Lango
region is equally suffering endless raids from the Karamojong pastoralists, a situation
being compounded by the presence of armed Balaalo herdsmen in the area.
//Cue in;
“Rt.Hon. Speaker …
Cue out… in the
Northern region.”//
In response, Gen
Muhoozi informed the House that the implementation of the Executive Order issued
by the President on 19 May 2023 has been deferred to September. In the interim,
he said Gen. Salim Saleh, was still engaging leaders in Northern Uganda to
resolve the Balaalo impasse.
//Cue in; “The
President has…
Cue out…
execution of that order.”//
Pursuant to
Article 99 (2) of the Constitution, President Museveni issued Executive Order
No. 3 of 2023 to avert anti-cattle rustling by indisciplined nomads known as
the Balaalo in the North and North-Eastern regions of Uganda.
However, in the
Executive Order, the President blamed the thriving cattle rustling on the
‘mistakes’ of army commanders who don’t respond in time to pursue the rustlers
whenever alarms are raised by the affected communities, leading to a disastrous
situation of large-scale economic and humanitarian disruption, and mass
starvation of people.
The President
also directed the Attorney General to draft a law criminalizing nomadism and
proposed that a wrongdoer should serve seven years in prison. According to the
President, the law should also provide for the confiscation of the cattle for
Balaalo who enter Northern Uganda illegally.
Cattle rustling
has been endemic in greater northern Uganda ever since colonial times in 1954.
Since 2004 when the Government commenced the disarmament of Karamojong
warriors, at least 41,000 rifles have been recovered and a dozen perpetrators
killed during the exercise.
Ochola's journalism career begun from Radio King 90.2 FM in Gulu around 2009, and Radio Rupiny 95.7 Fm under Vision Group in 2012. He also reported for Mighty Fire 91.5 Fm, Kitgum in 2015 before joining Wizarts Foundation in 2017.
He has been reporting for Uganda Radio Network (URN) since 2017 before being posted as Bureau Chief Kitgum, and later Gulu between 2018 - 2021. Currently, he reports from Parliament.
