Bosco Odoch Olak (holding a cap), the Northern Uganda Presidential Campaign Coordinator with some of the defectors interacting with the President at Gulu Core PTC. Photos by Arnest Tumwesige
By: Arnest Tumwesige
Gulu: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has directed that the ongoing livestock compensation process be temporarily suspended until the conclusion of the electoral period, citing unresolved verification challenges.
The President made the revelation on Friday while addressing National Resistance Movement (NRM) grassroots structures and councils from Acholi sub region and Adjumani district at Gulu Core Primary Teachers College in Laroo-Pece Division, Gulu City.
He said that although government funds had already been set aside, it was prudent to first complete ongoing engagements and harmonise beneficiary lists before any disbursement is made.
“Let the money stay on the account as we finish what we are doing. After that, we shall have adequate time to sit together and agree on how to move forward,” Museveni said.
Earlier, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Second National Vice Chairperson, Anita Annet Among, dismissed claims that the livestock compensation was a political gimmick aimed at enticing voters ahead of elections.
Among maintained that government had already committed resources to the programme, revealing that UGX 80 billion had been earmarked and was awaiting verification of beneficiaries.
“This is not a campaign message. If it were, after five years we would come back asking for votes again. We must fulfil what we promise,” she emphasised.
Acholi Accumulating High Claimants
Meanwhile, the Acholi War Debt Claimants Association expressed concern over the ongoing registration of beneficiaries under the livestock compensation programme without the association’s involvement.
Speaking at a press conference in the morning, the association’s chairperson, Julius Oleke, said members were alarmed by reports that some claimants were being registered without their knowledge.
Oleke noted that even if some individuals benefit under the current arrangement, the association would continue pursuing compensation that was previously endorsed through an out-of-court settlement.
The association currently has about 21,266 registered claimants and estimates that more than 1,500 members many stricken by old age and other calamities have died while waiting for compensation due to prolonged delays spanning over a period of more than 10 years.
Contrary to this, the total number of claimants known by the association is higher than what is recorded by the Office of the Attorney General.
While in Gulu in August last year, the Attorney General, Jackson Kafuuzi, acknowledged that the number of claimants has kept increasing after several individuals were left out during the 2014 verification exercise.
So far, out of 16,946 claimants recognised by government, a total of UGX 43.66 billion has been paid out to 4,836 claimants, with more than 12,110 still waiting for compensation in Acholi Sub-region alone.
Oleke further warned beneficiaries against misleading claims that compensation funds would be deposited before voting day, urging them to exercise their democratic rights freely, regardless of whether payment is made or not.
Billions Spent but No Impact
Livestock restocking, Museveni explained, is a key pillar of the government’s wealth creation agenda, particularly in regions devastated by war and cattle rustling. The conflicts, which were most intense in Acholi with spillovers into Lango and Teso, lasted for more than two decades and destroyed livelihoods, property, and lives.
To help the affected regions recover from the enormous losses of the war, the government started compensating communities, with so far UGX 159 billion released to Acholi, Lango, and Teso, but with limited impact registered on the ground.
Having registered less impact, the President said government adopted an equal approach strategy where each household in the three sub-regions would receive a uniform payment of UGX 5 million, equivalent to five cows.
He reiterated the government’s broader objective of increasing Uganda’s cattle population from the current estimated 16 million, warning that direct cash payouts may not necessarily translate into restocking if beneficiaries choose alternative uses.
Gov’t to Focus on Valley Dams, Irrigation
Museveni also outlined key development priorities the NRM intends to pursue if re-elected for the 2026-2031 term. Central to the agenda is job creation, which the President said cannot be achieved directly by government alone.
With Uganda’s population now at about 50 million and only 480,000 people employed in the civil service, Museveni stressed that the private sector must remain the primary engine for employment generation. Government, he said, will instead focus on enabling private enterprise through targeted support.
Regarding farming, the President said among the proposed initiatives is the construction of valley dams using government equipment to support fish farming. After handing them to the locals to manage them, Museveni said farmers could earn up to UGX 100 million within nine months, retaining about UGX 70 million in net profit from just half an acre of land.
The dams will be constructed in low-lying and swampy areas, with pilot projects already underway, including one in Limoto Sub-county in Pallisa District.
Irrigation, he added, will also be prioritised, citing a model banana plantation in Bushenyi where yields have reached 53 tonnes per hectare ten times higher than neighbouring farms due to efficient irrigation systems.
“These are the programmes we shall push in the next government if Ugandans support us,” Museveni said.
Riding on Politics of Numbers
With less than five days left to the presidential polls, the NRM Vice Chairperson for Northern Uganda, Hampson Denis Obua, said West Nile, Lango, and Acholi which make up Northern Uganda have a combined voting population of 3.6 million registered voters.
He broke down the figures as West Nile with 1.3 million voters, Acholi with 843,160 voters, and Lango with 1.2 million voters.
Obua said the party has been conducting parish conferences across the country, where 63 leaders from each village have been participating.
“If we apply the factor-tree approach mobilising effectively on polling day the NRM cannot lose the 2026 general elections,” Obua said, adding that if party leaders are honest, dependable, and reliable, the outcomes would reflect what he described as “Cura mathematics.”
He explained that if, on polling day, all the 63 leaders in each village mobilised at least three voters from the same homestead such as a spouse, first-born, or sibling and considering Uganda has about 72,000 villages, the party could begin with a potential voting population of about 13.6 million voters.
During the event, Bosco Odoch Olak the Northern Uganda Presidential Campaign Coordinator led over 400 defectors to the President. Majority of these were opposition leaders from Acholi, Lango, West Nile and Karamoja sub regions.
