Teso, Karamoja leaders fail to agree on grazing rules

A joint Teso-Karamoja security meeting intended to hamonise the grazing of Karamojong animals in the district of Kapelebyong on Tuesday ended prematurity after the two sides disagreed on resolutions.

Earlier in the meeting, a majority of leaders and locals from Teso wanted the herdsmen from Karamoja to evacuate their area, saying resolutions are always made annually but the pastoralists don't follow them.

According to the people of Teso, whenever the herdsmen from Karamoja come to graze during dry season, they steal animals, uproot cassava, burn bushes and threaten women.

It against this background that the leadership of Kapelebyong district with support from non-governmental organisations convened a security meeting to harmonise the process of grazing animals in Teso by the Karamojong.   

Besides using the already existing government laws, the district LC5 chairperson, Simon Erwagu, wanted new penalties for errant herdsmen agreed on but this did not happen when the meeting turned chaotic.

Among them, Erwagu wanted entry and exit meetings, village health team (VHTs) to accompany herdsmen as well as herdsmen seeking permission before coming to the district.

"Government is restocking cattle in Teso but these animals are always stolen by Karamojong raiders and their leadership is not bothered to help us recover them," said Erwagu.

"The entry of the Karamojong herdsmen to Teso must be defined so that we know where are they coming from, how many herdsmen and cows have they come with, if their animals are safe from diseases and where are they going to graze," he added.

The herdsmen and their leaders insisted that the people of Teso are part of them because they originate from Abyssinia in Ethiopia and therefore they should love each other and share resources.

Napak LC5 chairman Joseph Lomonyang speaks during the meeting. Photo by Emmanuel Alomu

The meeting went off the rails when Erwagu tabled the proposed penalties. He called for charging two animals for every animal stolen from the Teso side as per the Nabilatuk Resolution, which prompted some of the Karamoja representative to walk out.

The Kotido LC5 chairperson Ambrose Lotukei and his counterpart from Napak district, Joseph Lomonyang, argued that the Nabilatuk Resolution was meant for only Moroto, Napak, Nakapiripirit and Amudat districts while Moruitit Resolution was meant for North Karamoja and therefore Teso was not part of it.

Lotukei said the already existing laws should be used to punish whoever is caught stealing animals and property in Teso.

He challenged the leaders not to allow thieves from Karamoja to come and steal animals in Teso.

"We have told the herdsmen to wear clothes whenever they are in Teso because when they are naked, Ateso women may think that they want to rape them. We have also warned them against leaving children in kraals because many of them have died after stealing the bitter cassava in the gardens here," Lotukei said.

Explaining why many of their herdsmen keep coming to look for pasture and water in Teso compared to those in Napak, Lotukei said Kotido is disadvantaged because they are the only ones without a big water reservoir in the whole of Karamoja.

"We have only water tanks which dry up quickly but Napak has Ariecek water reservoir, Moroto has Kobebe and Kaabong has Longoromit," he said.

Lomonyang said that soon, Lopei multi-purpose dam will be constructed in his area and this will reduce the volume of people and animals coming to Teso.

"Once this dam is constructed, some swamps in Teso will dry up because it will take all the water flowing here," he said.

Terence Achia, the MP for Bokora in Karamoja, challenged leaders to form a coordinating committee so that they ensure that resolutions are always followed by the herdsmen.

Peter Logiro, the Kotido resident district commissioner, blamed the herdsmen for committing crimes on foreign land and called for peace committees to also be formed in Teso, just like Karamoja, so that they maintain peace now that the disarmament drive is over.

After consulting the leaders, Police as well as the RDCs of Amuria and Kapelebyong, Julian Iseet Fede who was chairing the meeting agreed with others that the district leadership picks ten members from both sides to form up a select committee which will agree on the resolutions to be followed by the herdsmen.