Pader: On Tuesday, 3rd of October 2023 during their assessment visits in Pader district, the Acholi Parliamentary Group (APG) distanced themselves from the reports that the Minister for Northern Uganda, Hon. Grace Freedom Kwiyocwiny read before the press on Sunday, at the Office of the Prime Minister in Gulu City on Sunday.
Among the dignitaries present include Hon. Santa Okot – Aruu North County MP, Hon. Okin P.P of Chua West County and Hon. John Okot Amos for Agago North County, the Koyo-peta clan chief – Rwot Oywak Ywagamoi Joseph, sub-county speakers, councilors Vs from Pader district, and others.
In her statement to the press, the Minister stated that; “The President, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has postponed the deadline for evicting cattle keepers from northern Uganda to October 20, 2023.”
However, these reports did not go well with some of the legislators from the North. Hon. Anthony Akol, MP Kilak North, and the Chairperson of the APG earlier stated there are irregularities in the reports they generated and submitted for perusal when compared to what the Minister read. He added that the APG resolved to report to the electorates before taking any steps following the reports from the President’s office.
While speaking to the gathering in Lapul sub-county, Pader district, Hon. Okot John Amos, the Agago North MP said that the Balalo must go, and he further explained that the resolution reached claiming that they accepted the extension date for eviction from 30th September 2023 to 20th of October 2023 is not true. He alleged that this report was ‘cooked’ by sections of “money-minded” leaders.
Okot appealed to the youths to champion the eviction of the Balalo since they are the major affected age groups in the society.
Hon Santa Okot, the Aruu North County MP stated that they were very frustrated on hearing the reports about the extension, yet they did not take part in the decision-making. “We didn’t take part in that meeting. We heard reports over the media,” she said.
According to Santa Okot, the dateline extended is null and void and added that they will execute the eviction as earlier communicated by the President.
This is the second time the president adjusted the deadline to evict the Balalo pastoralists. On May 19th, 2023, the President issued Executive Order No. 3 of 2023 banning cattle keeping in northern Uganda by June 30th. He said some of the pastoralists were disrespectful and leaving their animals to graze on people’s gardens.
However, Museveni postponed the implementation of the Executive Order for the eviction of the cattle keepers until September 30, 2023, upon request by the Senior Presidential Advisor on Defence and Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), Gen. Salim Saleh.
The APG further accused Salim Saleh of taking matters into his own hands.
Hon. Okin P.P Ojara, the MP of Chua West expressed his frustration saying that God knows why people were geographically located after they were created and allowed to settle on earth.
“In the 16th Century, there was a rebellion against the British who tried to subject the locals to forceful labor in their land, and this can happen anytime. The Balalo issue has been politicized by the opportunists in politics,” Okin explained. He further questioned the gatherings why the rampant sale of land is mainly to the Balalo pastoralists, and no other foreigners like Teso, and Karimojong, among others.
He alleged that the Chief of Balalo in the region is General Salim Saleh who has taken time to settle and process all the available means for survival of the Balalo. According to him, the increasing rates of poverty in the Acholi region have been well planned without explaining the ‘who.’
Okin concurred with Hon Santa on the extended dateline, saying that APG won’t wait until 20 October 2023 to start evicting the Balalo. “We shall launch the eviction exercise before that dateline communicated by the Minister,” he further explained.
Rwot Oywak, the Koyo-peta clan chief, accused the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government of failing to intervene to solve issues in regard to the life of the people in the region. He cited issues of; the Acholi war debt claimant that has been on for years, issues of tarmacking roads from Lira to Kitgum and to Agago which has been on for a long, issues of Karimojong warriors which are still dragging on, and Apaa land issue which the government has failed to handle it well.
“I don’t think the Government will fulfill the needs of the locals in regard to Balalo after they failed to handle similar issues. We shall wait for the extended dateline (20th of October 2023), if nothing is done, we shall handle it radically, Rwot Oywak explains.
Reactions from the local leaders
Residents in Lapul sub-county yesterday, 3rd of October demanded immediate eviction of Balalo.
This was coupled with an alleged unfulfilled promise that arose from a meeting with the Pader district security officer’s visit on the 9th of August 2023 at the Lalogi trading center to evict Balalo.
Denish Mwaka, a resident of Lapunu Makwar village in Lalogi parish, Pader district said the Balalo started arriving in early May 2023, and to date, there are numerous outcries in regard to their presence in the community. He added that their cattle are destroying people’s crops, and they aren’t compensated for the destruction which puts their lives at risk in regard to food insecurity.
He blamed their local leaders for all the atrocities being committed by the Balalo pastoralists in the community.
Mr Charles Odong, the Ojuru village chairperson while speaking during the APG’s visit admitted harboring the Balalo in his area due to pressure from the locals who demanded that he accept them. Odong alleges that in 10 years to come, he doubts if the Acholi will have their land, adding that the majority of the Balalo are very bad to the community.
The locals say that the Balalo must leave the region because they are increasing the rate of poverty among households as men are lured from productive work, hence ending up looking after the cattle belonging to the Balalo.
Mr Odong John Bosco, the Lapul sub-county councilor V noted that 2,663 acres of land in Lapul sub-county have been either sold or hired to the Balalo pastoralists. He further supported the move to evict the Balalo from the sub-county based on the concerns raised by the locals.
“A total of 200 acres of land have been bought by the Balalo and 2,463 acres have been hired out by the locals,” Odong asserted.
Mr Anywar Fred Dan, a researcher with the APG explains that during their 6-month research done in 8 districts in the Acholi region, they discovered that there is a total of 116 Balalo pastoralists settling in Pader district alone. He said that locals have registered a total of 1,262 acres of land under communal land ownership.
According to Anywar in regard to the research, Northern Uganda has total land coverage of 28,316 square kilometers, 601,010 with land titles, land on the leasehold of 49.99years is 3,419 acres, customary land with 78.5 percent, registered land with 21.5 percent and government land (i.e. UWA, NFA, and ranches) covering 2,488 square kilometers.
Others include freehold with 2,070 acres and customary land ownership in Pader stands at 1,260 acres with certificates. The community meeting with the APG jointly resolved that Balalo must leave their land.
