Last week, the seventy reformed warriors drawn from different districts within Karamoja were taken for a study tour where they visited experienced farmers in the districts of Kibale and Mubende. This was part of the effort to change their mindset practically and introduce them to agribusiness.
A section of the Karamojong reformed warriors, under the
umbrella of the Karachunas Peace Movement, has returned home after a one-week
study tour of agribusiness in western Uganda.
Last week, the seventy reformed warriors drawn from different
districts within Karamoja were taken for a study tour where they visited experienced
farmers in the districts of Kibale and Mubende. This was part of the effort to
change their mindset practically and introduce them to agribusiness.
The Microfinance Support Center initiated the study tour to
equip the reformed warriors with skills in agribusiness, livestock, and farm
value addition and change their mindsets.
They shared their experiences stating that the commercial farms
they visited were appealing and they vowed to copy and implement the same back
in the region.
Lokurio Longok, a reformed man from Lokopo sub-county in
Napak district, said he was surprised to find people living peacefully and
wealthy in parts of western Uganda.
Longok observed that the people were living in harmony with many
diversified economic activities, such as poultry, piggery, livestock, and crop
production.
He was impressed and is now asking for help to enable them
to implement the new skills that they have gained from the tour. He added that
if supported through the groups, they would be able to economically transform
and permanently drop the mindset of cattle rustling.
Longok noted that they are capable of changing the face of Karamoja
because of the available resources such as land for commercial agriculture.
Longok vowed to share the knowledge with his colleagues and
warned them against involving in nonproductive businesses such as cattle
raiding and killings.
Wilson Longolemwai, another reformed warrior from the Amudat
district lauded the microfinance support centre for organizing the tour that
has changed their mindset.
Longolemwai says that the people from the areas they
visited were organized in savings groups and were progressing economically
while the Karamojong were still keeping cattle.
Longolemwai said that they have embraced peace and are now
willing to cooperate with the government for economic transformation. He said
that they have so far formed groups of about 120 where they save their money
with later loans to other members who would wish to venture into businesses.
Longolemwai said that they have saved up to 100 million
shillings which members have borrowed for doing business. He appealed to the
government to open for them a group Sacco.
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Kizito Agan, the chairperson of the Karachunas in Napak
district urged the government to organize all the reformed warriors in one
group where they can be supported directly.
Agan stressed that they need a special program targeting the
reformed warriors for economic transformation and not to incorporate them with
other community groups. He observed that most of the reformed warriors have
missed out on the government programs because of the selection criteria which
is based on nepotism.
Agan also noted that although the members have learned new
ideas and mindset changes, they need support from the government to make them
role models in society.
He revealed that their fellow reformed warriors and the
community at large would only believe in them after seeing some positive impact
from the people who went for study tours.
He appealed to the government to consider giving them the
improved breeds of livestock and crop varieties which they saw doing well from
the farms visited.
Agan also expressed his disappointment with the security
officer for arresting one of their members immediately after he returned from
the field trip. He warned that this kind of arrest discouraged the warriors
from embracing peace and made them feel insecure in their own homes.
Howard Kathikou, the coordinator of Karachunas Peace
Movement said that they have gained knowledge on data management, budgeting,
and investments.
Kathikou they were shocked to find some places in Western
Uganda that are also experiencing drought but have big farms. Kathikou
observed that the farmers in Western Uganda are managing their enterprises
through water conservation an idea which he is optimistic would apply to
Karamoja.
Kathikou reiterated that all the new technology that is
making farmers in western Uganda progress can also work for Karamoja if they render
support.
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Lydia Nambuya, the Moroto zonal manager for the Microfinance
support center said that they have organized reformed warriors to form SACCOs
in each district where they are supported directly with funds.
Nambuya said that they are looking at the exchange visits to
support the Karachunas acquire the skills which they can implement to join the
money economy.
She observed that the Karachunas are positively responding to
the savings and some have managed to save up to a tune of 100 million shillings
in their SACCO.
Nambuya said that they also support other government
programs such as Emyooga to take them for exchange visits to learn new ideas
and get lessons from different communities.
Nambuya said that they took 70 Karachunas and some women’s groups
to the farms in the Mubende district where they learned new skills in
agribusiness, livestock, and farm value addition.
Nambuya said that they are also looking at capitalizing the
SACCOs through seed capital to enable them to boost their capital within their SACCOs.
She said that they shall continue organizing such exchange visits to different
places as one way of changing the mindset in the areas of conducting businesses
and SACCO activities.
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Lena Godfrey Lokwang, the Secretary for the Karachunas Peace
Movement said that the reformed warriors had tasked President Museveni to help
them fight poverty that has driven them to dubious acts.
Lokwang said that people have not ventured to alternative
livelihoods instead they are struggling with livestock of less quality and persistent
insecurity.
He observed that the vice has kept the community hostage for
a long time and this should be the right time to break the barriers.
He urged the team to have a diversified enterprise to help
them thrive to another level of economic transformation.
Lokwang said that they are trying to mentor the team to
continue with the peace coexistence and to get viable economic enterprises.
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Joseph Lobot, the LCV Chairperson of Amudat district pledged
his support for the registration of the reformed warriors association so that the
government can easily render any form of support.
Lobot noted grouping the reformed warriors and supporting
them financially would enable them to address the challenge of insecurity since
they have alternative livelihoods than raiding for survival.
He said that they will continue creating awareness for the Karachunas
who are still trapped in the raids with a referral point for those who embraced
peace and now thriving in money economy.
Lobot observed that the region can only be transformed by
ensuring that people invest in different enterprises. He said there is also a
need for land segmentation to know which land fits agriculture and livestock
rearing.
