The Pader Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Milton Odongo, has commenced the implementation of Presidential Executive Order No. 3 of 2023. The eviction of non-compliant Balalo from Pader district, known as “Operation Harmony – Cattle Economy,” was decided upon by the District Security Committee on December 6, 2023, with the UPDF in the lead, accompanied by the Uganda Police Force and intelligence.
According to RDC Odongo, the political head of the district, LCV Chairman RTD Col. Obwoya Fearless Oyat, fully participated in the evictions along with the district technical team, the DVO and staff at the sub-county level, as well as the Sub-County Security Committee LC3 Chairperson and GISO.
The outcome of the Balalo eviction as of December 7, 2023, according to RDC Odongo’s report, was still peaceful in all affected areas of Pader district. However, the total number of animals belonging to non-compliant Balalo awaiting transportation stands at 47 by Thursday evening in Pader. 261 animals have already been evicted as of Thursday, according to RDC Odongo. Meanwhile, the grand total stands at 308 cattle.
RDC Milton assured the people of Pader that the eviction is still ongoing and will remain peaceful. In his report to various media outlets on Friday afternoon, Odongo stated that among the people evicted was Awio Patrick Ogwang, a Lango by tribe from Lira City, with 154 cows on 10 hectares of land inherited from a landlord in Biwang village, Tyer parish in Pader sub-county.
Notably on the list were Moses Kanyinzi, evicted after two Balalo, Mugisha Caleb and Tumusiime Peter, left willingly before the eviction. Sambara Joseph of Akemokoch in Tyer parish, Pader sub-county, hired 14 hectares of land from Otto Vincent since 2001 with 47 heads. The reason for his eviction was that the grazing area was not fenced. Others included Muhoozi Moses with 100 hectares of land not fenced, hence evicted from Laguti sub-county in Pader district.
RDC Pader, therefore, promised to continue with the operation of implementing Executive Order Number Three on non-compliant Balalo. The operation is still ongoing in Pader, according to Mr. Odongo Milton, while talking to our reporter in the afternoon in an exclusive phone interview.
