Odonga Otto insulted me in Acholi, says Museveni

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President Yoweri Museveni says former Aruu County legislator Odonga Otto insulted him while in the Acholi sub-region.

“There is a boy called Odonga Otto in Acholi there, he owes me a cow. He has to give me a cow; otherwise, I will take him to court because he insulted me. He thought he was praising me, but actually it was an insult,” Museveni, who is on the campaign trail to retain the presidency, said.

He made the remarks on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, evening while interacting with journalists from the Karamoja region during a live radio and TV talk-show at Morulinga State Lodge in Napak district.

The show was moderated by Vision Group journalist Olandason Wanyama, who is based in Moroto district.

“When I was there (in Acholi), he said, ‘Mr Museveni, thank you so much for chasing the Balaalo from Acholi; chasing your tribe from Acholi’. Imagine! He implied a man should not go against his tribe even when they are wrong,” the President said.

Without a specified point in the past, Museveni added, “So, I said, ‘You Odonga Otto, you think I’m such a low character that I can fail to defend right because my relatives are involved? I don’t care about those relatives. If they are wrong, I go against them.”

Otto, who is formerly a member of the Forum for Democratic Change party, was in Parliament from 2001 to 2021.

Analysts say he was a maverick who was incomparably controversial during his time as MP. By the time of writing this story, New Vision Online had not yet succeeded in getting a comment from Otto.

About the Balaalo

The Balaalo is a group of largely cattle-keeping Ugandans from the western region, who settled in the northern region in 2016, primarily in search of greener pastures, often triggering clashes with local communities over land use and crop destruction. 

However, Museveni later ordered those (the Balaalo) with non-fenced farmland in the greater North, which includes Lango, Acholi and West Nile, to leave the region.

“Those who have cows in non-fenced areas must go immediately because this is recklessness. Why should you bring cows in an area where you have no control?" he once asked.

“Therefore, I direct the division commander and the regional police commander and then the minister of Northern Uganda to issue orders for these people to move their cows. Anybody who has got cows in a non-fenced area, they must go. All of them,” the President ordered.