Minister Omona cracks whip as 50 Amuru families fight cattle keeper over 700 acres

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AMURU – Northern Uganda state minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Dr Kenneth Omona, has ordered security forces in Amuru district to protect over 50 households allegedly blocked from accessing their land in Agan Kal Acut, Labala parish, following a bitter land dispute involving a cattle keeper accused of using military intimidation.

The contested land, estimated at over 700 acres, is claimed by James Tumwine, a member of the Balaalo community, whom residents accuse of masquerading as a UPDF general to intimidate locals and seize community land.

Speaking during a community baraza in Pabbo sub-county on Thursday, Omona directed security personnel to ensure the affected families peacefully cultivate and settle on the land without harassment.

“We are not in the Amin era; we are in NRM, where we are expected to work for the locals, not allow them to suffer,” Omona said.

According to Kal Acut LC1 chairperson Simon Oyet Awira, the conflict began in 2022 when Tumwine entered into a land purchase agreement with the family of Albertino Ongom for 300 acres.

The agreed price was 96 million shillings after negotiations reduced the cost from 600,000 to 350,000 shillings per acre.

LC1 records indicate Tumwine initially paid 10 million shillings, with subsequent installments expected in September 2022 and January 2023.

However, the family says Tumwine never completed the payment and instead fenced off the land, brought in cattle, and allegedly used armed military personnel to intimidate residents and suppress complaints.

Eddy Ojera, who spearheaded the land sale on behalf of the family, said a later private survey revealed the land occupied by Tumwine was far larger than agreed.

“We discovered the land was not 301 acres as earlier surveyed but over 528 acres, and he had further encroached on adjacent land, bringing the occupied area to about 750 acres,” Ojera said.

Residents also accuse Tumwine’s cattle of repeatedly destroying crops. Attempts by locals to impound the animals allegedly resulted in military-backed interventions to recover them, escalating tensions in the area.

John Alfred Labalping, the LC3 chairperson of Pabbo sub-county, said efforts to mediate the dispute have failed because Tumwine allegedly ignores local authorities and appears “untouchable.”

Police officer Ben Ogwang from Labala Police post said reports were filed and forwarded to Amuru authorities, but residents accuse some Police officials of altering case files to shield Tumwine from accountability.

Amuru Resident District Commissioner Geoffrey Osborn Oceng said all Balaalo cattle, including Tumwine, were ordered out of northern Uganda under Presidential Executive Order No. 3 and Operation Harmony.

According to Oceng, Tumwine operated 11 cattle kraals in the district and faced repeated accusations of harassment and illegal grazing on community land.

Maj. Gen. Felix Busizoori, commander of the UPDF Fourth Infantry Division, confirmed that security forces supervised the eviction of Tumwine’s cattle in April.

However, Busizoori warned residents against reoccupying land already purchased by Balaalo individuals before proper verification is completed.

He said the military would oversee a verification exercise to separate legitimate land transactions from fraudulent acquisitions.

Tumwine defended himself in an interview, insisting he legally acquired the land and possesses all the required documents.

“What they have told you is 1% true and 99% lies,” Tumwine said angrily.

Omona revealed that the matter has already reached State House, prompting a government fact-finding mission.

Citing a presidential directive by President Yoweri Museveni, Omona argued that land sales under Acholi customary tenure are legally questionable because customary land is communally owned and cannot be individually sold.

He urged those claiming ownership through such transactions to seek compensation from government rather than forcing communities off ancestral land.

The minister also criticised security agencies for allegedly failing to protect vulnerable residents while allowing military-linked intimidation to continue unchecked.

He vowed to report the matter directly to the President and push for accountability against individuals accused of enabling suffering within the community.

A report from the Office of the Prime Minister indicates that more than 70,000 out of the estimated 80,000 Balaalo cattle in northern Uganda have already been evicted under Operation Harmony.