Why Uganda needs a cattle restocking and livelihood authority

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OPINION

By Dr Samuel B. Ariong (PhD)

Cattle restocking has been one of Uganda’s recurrent themes for rebuilding rural livelihoods, especially in post-conflict regions such as Karamoja, Teso, Acholi, Sebei and Lango.

The policy initiative has been driven by a noble vision: to restore the economic dignity of households that lost livestock through insurgencies and raids, and a link to Yoweri Museveni’s vision of socioeconomic transformation.

Cows are not just animals in these communities; they represent wealth, pride, food security, and social stability.

Over the years, billions of shillings have been invested through programmes like Entandikwa, National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) and Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), and recently, Parish Development Model (PDM). Uganda’s cattle restocking interventions have not consistently transformed into sustainable livelihood systems.

The emphasis has largely remained on the number of cows distributed, rather than on how those cows contribute to lasting household income, community resilience, as well as regional productivity.

Recently, President Yoweri Museveni endorsed a new cattle restocking framework for cattle compensation, describing it as “realistic, inclusive, and transformative.” The plan promises to deliver five cows, or their cash equivalent, to each affected household.

However, it is time to shift the national conversation beyond cows, to focus on building livelihood systems that integrate livestock into the wider framework of rural development and socioeconomic transformation in line with the President’s vision.

The traditional restocking model has often been linear: identify households without cattle, distribute animals, and move to the next parish.

While this restores immediate asset ownership, it rarely addresses the long-term challenges of livestock management, disease control, market access, and value addition.

Many beneficiaries, especially millions of vulnerable households, find it difficult to sustain their herds due to limited veterinary support, poor pasture systems, or a lack of knowledge on animal husbandry.

In some cases, recipients sell the cattle within months to meet short-term needs; effectively undermining the programme’s transformative intent.

These challenges are not new. Government reports, parliamentary committee reviews, and independent audits have highlighted weak follow-up mechanisms, fragmented coordination between ministries, and a lack of accountability among implementing partners.

As a result, restocking has often become an episodic intervention rather than a continuous livelihood-building process.

A new institutional approach:

Uganda and the NRM government more broadly need to rethink restocking as part of a broader livelihood economy, one that connects livestock to water, markets, credit, and community-based enterprises. To achieve this, I propose the establishment of a Cattle Restocking and Livelihood Authority (CRLA) — a semi-autonomous body mandated to coordinate, monitor, and manage all restocking and livestock-based livelihood programmes across the country.

The CRLA would not replace existing agencies like the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), OWC or PDM.

Instead, it would complement them by offering a unified framework for planning, coordination, and accountability.

This authority could oversee:

Restocking and herd management programmes; ensuring transparent targeting, follow-up, and impact tracking.

Livelihood integration: linking cattle ownership to microfinance, savings groups, and value chains like milk processing, hides, and biogas.

Veterinary and extension services; deploying trained field officers to monitor animal health and farmer training.

Research and data systems; generating accurate livestock statistics to inform evidence-based planning.

Conflict resolution and community engagement, especially in cattle corridor regions affected by raiding and border disputes.

Beyond Cows: building livelihood systems

Restocking should be viewed as an entry point into wider livelihood ecosystems, not an end in itself.

When a household receives a cow, that asset should serve as a springboard for other income-generating activities.

For instance, milk sales can finance poultry, goat rearing, or small-scale irrigation. Cow dung can be used for biogas and organic fertilisers, improving crop yields. Youth can engage in milk collection, transport, and processing cooperatives.

Women’s groups can manage milk kiosks, cheese processing, or livestock-based savings and credit associations.

This is the essence of a livelihood system: a cycle of productivity that multiplies economic opportunities across households and communities, rather than leaving beneficiaries dependent on handouts.

Integrating restocking into national development frameworks

Uganda’s PDM, Agro-Industrialisation Strategy, and National Development Plan IV (NDP IV) already emphasise inclusive, production-driven growth.

A Cattle Restocking and Livelihood Authority could play a central role in aligning livestock initiatives with these frameworks. For example, under PDM, parishes receive resources for enterprise development.

The CRLA could support parishes to identify livestock enterprises suitable for their ecological zones, whether dairy, beef, or mixed farming, and link them to veterinary extension and market access.

Through partnerships with Uganda Development Bank, Microfinance Support Centre, and Cooperatives, beneficiaries could access affordable credit to expand their herds or invest in value addition.

By aligning with the agro-industrialisation agenda, the Authority could promote rural processing plants, cold chain infrastructure, and export-ready dairy products — unlocking Uganda’s livestock potential.

Gender and Youth inclusion

Restocking and livestock value chains offer powerful opportunities for women and youth empowerment, yet their involvement remains low due to cultural barriers and limited access to resources.

A modern restocking program must ensure that women and youth are active participants, not passive recipients. This means designing tailor-made support such as: women-led livestock cooperatives, youth skilling in veterinary services, fodder production, and agribusiness management, microcredit and revolving funds accessible to young entrepreneurs in the livestock value chain.

Empowering these groups would expand the social and economic impact of restocking programmes while enhancing inclusivity and sustainability to drive socioeconomic transformation.

Uganda can draw lessons from regional models such as Kenya’s Livestock Insurance Programme and Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP), which integrate livestock support with livelihood resilience and social protection.

Both programmes emphasise sustainability, accountability, and household transformation — principles that Uganda’s future restocking efforts should adopt.

A similar approach under a CRLA framework would ensure that restocking is data-driven, equitable, and transformative, as the president highlighted while receiving the report from Hon Jessica Alupo.

A key criticism of past restocking programmes has been the lack of transparency and follow-up.

Establishing the CRLA would provide an opportunity to create a centralised database of beneficiaries, animals distributed, and outcomes achieved.

Digital monitoring systems could track livestock health, reproduction, and productivity, while periodic audits ensure value for money.

Beneficiaries could be organised into cooperatives or savings groups for easier supervision and support.

Such systems would not only strengthen public trust but also ensure that government investments yield measurable, long-term results.

Policy Recommendations

Establish the Cattle Restocking and Livelihood Authority (CRLA) through an Act of Parliament, under the oversight of MAAIF and the Office of the President.

Integrate restocking with livelihood and enterprise development — linking households to value addition, training, and markets.

Adopt a gender- and youth-responsive approach to ensure inclusive participation and equitable access to resources.

Strengthen veterinary and extension systems through partnerships with local governments, universities, and private sector actors.

Introduce monitoring and evaluation frameworks to ensure transparency, accountability, and sustainability.

Conclusion: From cow to transformation

The new cattle restocking framework proposed by the President will ultimately restore economic dignity to many Ugandan households; however, economic dignity must evolve into sustainability.

As the country moves toward middle-income status, our development thinking must get transformative.

We must move beyond cows, toward building livelihood systems that integrate livestock into broader rural economies, empower families, and strengthen resilience and drive socioeconomic transformation.  Establishing a Cattle Restocking and Livelihood Authority would mark a bold step toward that transformation, turning Uganda’s restocking story into a sustainable model for rural prosperity and national development.

Dr Samuel B. Ariong (PhD) is a lecturer, a researcher and development policy scholar.