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There is tension in Acholi region districts hosting balaalo (nomadic herdsmen) with leaders and the local people from all levels building camps in their support as President Yoweri Museveni's visit nears.

Divisions are seen among the Members of Parliament (MP), cultural leaders, landowners, and the local people.

On Monday, when Kilak South MP Gilbert Olanya in Amuru district crossed into another constituency of Kilak North with other MPs to mobilise the community to reject the stay of the Balaalo, the engagement ended in a clash.

Olanya was in the company of Philip Okin Ojara (Chua West County MP) from Kitgum district, Santa Okot (Pader Woman MP), and Amos Okot(Agago North MP).

Convening at Palukere Primary School in Atiak sub-county Amuru district, the MPs seated in the school's main hall with the locals asked them to reject any possible plan to allow the Balaalo to stay in the region.

Citing the President’s Executive Order 3 on the eviction of Balaalo and other two issues, Olanya said while the President had extended the eviction deadline to November 15, 2023, it was time to begin the process.

“I want to thank the President. He said by November 15, Balaalo must have left Acholi land. For that matter, even if he said that they should leave by the fifth, it does not mean that they should wait for that day. The Balaalo who are here must begin collecting their belongings and leave Acholi land,” Olanya said.

In what sounded to be inciting the locals, the legislator told them, locals, that they should not get timid like “a person who will live forever in the world”.

The legislator proceeded that the Government is using people like the Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) to ensure that the land is occupied by the nonindigenous people.

RDC bitter

The allegation did not go well with Amuru RDC Stephen Odong Latek who had joined the meeting through a tip-off from the intelligence network.

“I think we need to talk with respect,” Odong said.

“People like the RDC are the ones mobilising locals to say that Acholi is living peacefully with the Balaalo,” Olanya proceeded through a counter-interjection.

“If you are an Acholi and you were given birth from Acholi, do not accept this kind of stupidity. As MPs who are in Acholi, we shall not accept our people to be urinated on from our home,” Olanya added.

After wearing listening ears and enough tolerance, the RDC could not stomach any of the insulting words from Olanya.

The RDC told whoever was inciting the locals to lead the way to the Balaalo homes as earlier demanded by Olanya, to be ready to bear the consequences.

Olonya donned on a black t-shirt exchanging with Odong Latek the RDC during the engagement on Monday

“We shall not penalise land sellers,” he said.

Government should refund 

Earlier in the day, Richard Santo Apire, the Atiak clan chief of Amuru district, while meeting his subjects at his palace, said the Government should be ready to refund the money the Balaalo used to buy land in Acholi.

Apire also noted that as cultural leaders they would not levy any punishment on a subject who sold customary to the cattle keepers since they had done so out of the overburdening problems around them exacerbated by extreme poverty.

MP’s lash on Olanya’s style of politics

Meanwhile, another team lead of MPs led by Catherine Lamwaka (Omoro district Woman MP) who was also part of the engagement also expressed disappointment with their colleague on his style of politics.

Lamwaka noted that whereas there is rampant sale of land in Acholi to not only the Balaalo but also other tribes, this should be an area of focus to find solutions that can reduce the vice.

The legislator scoffed at Olanya for what she termed as the radical approach he has chosen to incite locals to take the law into their own hands a procedure that won’t have any fruits apart from putting them into unforeseen problems.

“I want to state very clearly that it is true as political leaders, we have been using land as a tool for campaigns, but we did not as leaders take time to sensitise our people on how to use their land,” the legislator added.

Customary land is not for sale

A report from the lands ministry dated September 2023 indicates that 20.1% of the total land in Acholi is titled under freehold, leasehold, or customary certificate ownership.

The report also shows that of the total land that is titled, 90% of the titled holders are indigenous people. These either acquired the titles on their customary land or bought land within the region.

This report nullifies claims by leaders that customary land in Acholi is not supposed to be sold given the fact that even those claiming so have also bought land and titled it.

In an earlier interview with the RDC, he said the focus to only evict Balaalo is being tribalistic which must be desisted based on the findings that even other people have also bought land.

Gearing up for the President’s visit

Following the extension of the eviction of Balaalo from October 20 to November 15, President Yoweri Museveni announced plans to have a physical interaction with the land owners who have either sold or hired their land to the Balaalo.

The engagement will also include the Balaalo among other actors to help him make an informed decision on the matter. The meeting will be held on November 3, in the Okidi sub-county in the Amuru district.

The Balaalo is being accused of grabbing people’s land, grazing cattle in gardens, acquiring illegal land titles, eloping with married women, and having guns thus the eviction order.