News
President's office orders probe into cattle restocking programme in Acholi
The Deputy Head of the Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) Secretariat in the Office of the President, Rev. Sr. Mary Grace Akiror, on Monday directed RDCs in the Acholi sub-region to immediately kick-start investigations into the matter.
The Deputy Head of the Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) Secretariat in the Office of the President, Rev. Sr. Mary Grace Akiror. (Courtesy photo)
By: Christopher Nyeko, Journalist @New Vision
__________________
The President's office has ordered a probe into the technical challenges that have left hundreds of beneficiaries reportedly locked out of the Government's cattle restocking programme in the Acholi sub-region.
The Deputy Head of the Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) Secretariat in the Office of the President, Rev. Sr. Mary Grace Akiror, on Monday directed RDCs in the Acholi sub-region to immediately kick-start investigations into the matter.
The directive follows complaints that many households identified for the first phase of the programme have had their details rejected by the electronic system used to upload beneficiary information, despite being duly selected from their respective communities.
Akiror, who is touring the Acholi sub-region to assess service delivery performance under the government's decentralisation policy, made the remarks on Monday during a monitoring visit to Nwoya District.
She met district civil servants, heads of department, political leaders, and local government officials to assess the implementation of government programmes and address emerging challenges.
Addressing the meeting, Akiror expressed concern over reports that corruption has become entrenched within some district administrations, with allegations that government jobs were being sold to the highest bidders.
"In this Kisanja (term), there will be no more sleeping on the job. We shall arrest corrupt officials and ensure accountability," Akiror warned.
She challenged public servants, who are unwilling to perform their duties, to resign and leave government service.
"Under decentralisation, sons and daughters of the soil are recruited to serve their own communities. It is unfortunate that some are now failing the very people they were employed to help," Akiror said.
She met district civil servants, heads of department, political leaders, and local government officials to assess the implementation of government programmes and address emerging challenges.
Addressing the meeting, Akiror expressed concern over reports that corruption has become entrenched within some district administrations, with allegations that government jobs were being sold to the highest bidders.
"In this Kisanja (term), there will be no more sleeping on the job. We shall arrest corrupt officials and ensure accountability," Akiror warned.
She challenged public servants, who are unwilling to perform their duties, to resign and leave government service.
"Under decentralisation, sons and daughters of the soil are recruited to serve their own communities. It is unfortunate that some are now failing the very people they were employed to help," Akiror said.
Turning to concerns about the cattle restocking programme, Akiror pledged to engage RDCs and relevant authorities to establish why the system is reportedly rejecting names of eligible beneficiaries.
Her intervention comes as several districts in Acholi race against time to submit beneficiary lists before the deadline, which expired on Monday.
Hundreds left out
In Nwoya, 134 out of the 590 beneficiaries identified across 44 parishes have reportedly been left out of the system, raising fears that many eligible households could miss out on the first phase of the restocking programme.
Nwoya district Chief Administrative Officer Richard Madete said only 456 beneficiaries had successfully been uploaded and submitted for payment.
The district was allocated sh2.9 billion under the 2025/2026 financial year budget to support 590 beneficiaries, with each of the 44 parishes expected to provide 13 beneficiaries.
Nwoya District Chairperson Patrick Okello Oryema urged the chief administrative officer to formally notify the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) about the technical difficulties affecting the exercise.
According to Oryema, the electronic registration system automatically rejects additional names after reaching a certain limit.
"I personally witnessed the names of 18 beneficiaries being rejected by the system," Oryema said, adding that technical staff should not be blamed for the shortfall.
A similar challenge has been reported in Pader District, where beneficiary registration has also fallen behind schedule.
Out of the 582 beneficiaries allocated to the district, only a small fraction had been successfully entered into the system, leaving the district at just 35 percent completion rate.
The slow pace prompted Pader District Woman MP Lowila Oketayot to return to the district to intensify mobilisation efforts and ensure more beneficiaries are registered before the deadline.
Pader Deputy Resident District Commissioner Agustine Omoding said district leaders and technical teams were working around the clock to improve the registration figures.
Acholi trails other regions
According to a performance review report from the OPM on livestock beneficiary identification, the Acholi sub-region stands at only 46 percent completion rate, significantly behind other participating regions.
The report indicates that the Lango sub-region has achieved 90 percent completion, while Teso stands at 86 percent.
About the programme
The cattle restocking programme is a special presidential initiative aimed at restoring livestock ownership in the Acholi, Lango and Teso sub-regions.
Under the programme, each selected household is expected to receive support worth sh5 million to purchase two oxen and three heifers.
The intervention is intended to revive the once-thriving cattle economy that was devastated by decades of insurgency and cattle rustling.
For the 2025/2026 financial year, the government allocated sh80 billion to the programme, with Acholi among the key target areas expected to benefit from the livestock recovery initiative.
Her intervention comes as several districts in Acholi race against time to submit beneficiary lists before the deadline, which expired on Monday.
Hundreds left out
In Nwoya, 134 out of the 590 beneficiaries identified across 44 parishes have reportedly been left out of the system, raising fears that many eligible households could miss out on the first phase of the restocking programme.
Nwoya district Chief Administrative Officer Richard Madete said only 456 beneficiaries had successfully been uploaded and submitted for payment.
The district was allocated sh2.9 billion under the 2025/2026 financial year budget to support 590 beneficiaries, with each of the 44 parishes expected to provide 13 beneficiaries.
Nwoya District Chairperson Patrick Okello Oryema urged the chief administrative officer to formally notify the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) about the technical difficulties affecting the exercise.
According to Oryema, the electronic registration system automatically rejects additional names after reaching a certain limit.
"I personally witnessed the names of 18 beneficiaries being rejected by the system," Oryema said, adding that technical staff should not be blamed for the shortfall.
A similar challenge has been reported in Pader District, where beneficiary registration has also fallen behind schedule.
Out of the 582 beneficiaries allocated to the district, only a small fraction had been successfully entered into the system, leaving the district at just 35 percent completion rate.
The slow pace prompted Pader District Woman MP Lowila Oketayot to return to the district to intensify mobilisation efforts and ensure more beneficiaries are registered before the deadline.
Pader Deputy Resident District Commissioner Agustine Omoding said district leaders and technical teams were working around the clock to improve the registration figures.
Acholi trails other regions
According to a performance review report from the OPM on livestock beneficiary identification, the Acholi sub-region stands at only 46 percent completion rate, significantly behind other participating regions.
The report indicates that the Lango sub-region has achieved 90 percent completion, while Teso stands at 86 percent.
About the programme
The cattle restocking programme is a special presidential initiative aimed at restoring livestock ownership in the Acholi, Lango and Teso sub-regions.
Under the programme, each selected household is expected to receive support worth sh5 million to purchase two oxen and three heifers.
The intervention is intended to revive the once-thriving cattle economy that was devastated by decades of insurgency and cattle rustling.
For the 2025/2026 financial year, the government allocated sh80 billion to the programme, with Acholi among the key target areas expected to benefit from the livestock recovery initiative.