President Museveni to meet Teso leaders over cattle compensation

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Leaders from the Teso sub-region are set to meet President Yoweri Museveni on Friday, August 15, to discuss the ongoing cattle compensation programme.

The meeting, to be held at Soroti University, follows an invitation from Vice President Jessica Alupo to Teso leaders, including Members of Parliament, local council leaders at district and sub-county levels, resident district commissioners, and cultural and religious leaders.

“The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the success of the programme and adopt measures to accelerate the implementation of the programme,” Alupo stated in her letter.

President Museveni launched the Teso cattle compensation programme on March 27, 2022, at Soroti University. However, many local leaders remain dissatisfied with the way the exercise is being managed.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, which is responsible for making the payments, Teso has so far received a total of sh5.5 billion.

Across the three beneficiary regions of Teso, Lango, and Acholi, the ministry’s data shows that the government has paid out a combined total of sh135 billion since 2022.

However, leaders from Teso dispute the figures, saying they cannot identify the actual beneficiaries.

“As a leader in my district, I can’t tell who the beneficiaries are and how much each person has received. This is a matter we feel the President should handle,” said Stella Apolot Isodo, the spokesperson of the Teso Parliamentary Group.

Parliament has already debated the matter, with leaders demanding that the Attorney General provide lists of beneficiaries from the three regions and details of the amounts received by each.

Stephen Ochola, the district chairperson of Serere and chairperson of Teso LC5 leaders, said they intend to tell the President about the lack of inclusivity in the compensation process.

“Most people have been left out. First of all, remember, there are people who went to court, but that number is small. And there are many people who lost their cows, who did not go to court but deserve to be paid,” Ochola said.

He called for a more transparent payment system to ensure leaders can track how the money is spent.

Ochola added that the government would be appreciated if all Iteso were compensated, given the widespread loss suffered in the region.

“We are saying we should have a way of compensating almost all households of Teso, even if you give them two heifers per household as compensation,” Ochola said.

“Why would we push for compensation for all Iteso? It is because in Teso, any young person inherits the wealth from their parents. Most of these people, by the way, have died. Our grandparents have died, our fathers have died, but they would not die and go with the cows if the cows had not been taken,” Ochola explained.

Another key point the leaders plan to present to the President is a request to establish a breeding centre in the region.

“The breeding centre will help us get good breeds of bulls,” Ochola said ahead of Friday’s meeting.