Sebei Sub-region until the early 1990s witnessed a lot of insecurity from cattle rustlers from Karamoja sub-region. Many families lost thousands of head of cattle, while others lost dear ones in the battle with warriors that invaded in the night.

The National Resistance Movement government (NRM), in a bid to stem this, installed an army barracks in Ngoryomwo, near the border of Karamoja and Kapchorwa districts. The government also later started the anti-stock theft unit to offer auxiliary services to the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers.

By the late 1990s, cattle rustling had greatly reduced and families could now sleep in peace, although they have hardly recovered the animals lost then.

In the lower belts of Sebei, many people were displaced in Ngenge, Tobakon, Bunambutye, and surrounding areas due to the insecurity. Some of them have never recovered that land.

Apart from insecurity, Kapchorwa remained a hard-to-reach area until early 2000 when a tarmac road from Sironko to Kapchorwa town was constructed.

Before then, travel from Kapchorwa town, 62km away, to Mbale was a full day journey when it rained and about four hours on a dry day. This then left the districts of Kween and Bukwo suffering to date. However, the 77km Kapchorwa Suam Road, will soon end the suffering.

Also, the government has started construction work on the road to the High-Altitude Training Centre in Teryet, Kapchorwa district.

The mountainous area has also had a good connection to the national electricity grid. The Hydro-Electric Power was launched in 1996 and in the later years, the rural places got connected too.

There is also ongoing works on the Kere power dam to supply the areas of Bukwo.

While the people in the area continue to grapple with access to proper health care, the government has set in motion plans to solve this.

The NRM policy is to have a health centre III in every sub-county. As a result, a recent national household survey by UBOS (2016/2017) shows about eight in every 10 Ugandans said it is now easy for them to find the services they need at a health facility.

Over the next five years, the NRM is going to focus more on efficiency gains and quality of health care provided. More functionality of health facilities by having the necessary equipment and personnel to operate them. NRM’s policy on health relies, first, on primary healthcare and secondly, curative.

In Sebei sub-region, construction of health centre IIIs is at completion stage in sub-counties of Kitawoi, Kaptun, Kwosir in Kween district; Eastern Division and Kaptanya in Kapchorwa district; Kabei, Senendet, Suam in Bukwo district. 

There is also ongoing construction of Atar Health Centre III in Mayok sub-county in Kween district. There is an ongoing construction of Kasereme Health Centre III in Kasereme sub-county, Kapchorwa district as well as construction of Chepkwasta and Brim Health Centre IIIs in Bukwo district.

With the completion of the above 12 HC IIIs either under construction or planned for, the sub-counties with Health Centre IIIs in Sebei will increase from the current 25 to 37. 

The government plans to upgrade Kapchorwa Hospital to a Regional Referral Hospital.

Schools have also received a boost with the construction of classroom structures in many primary schools although generally, the quality of education remains a pain in the neck.

Through the Rural Water and Sanitation Project in the late 1990s, the district got piped water. The coverage has since been expanded.

What remains a thorn, is the wrangles between the local community and the Uganda Wildlife Authority officials.

There's bad blood between the two groups because of the use of Mt Elgon National Park. In recent months, many people have been killed after being caught grazing or exploiting the nearby forest.

This has triggered community unrest and hostility against the government. The community now wants the government to provide them with a solution to avoidable deaths.

The farmers have also been crying out to the government over the Sebei Elgon Cooperative Union which they want to be resurrected to boost agriculture which forms 90 per cent of people's income.