By Admin
President Yoweri Museveni has announced that all school-going children from families affected by cattle rustling in Lango sub-region will be allowed to study for free in government schools until the situation normalizes.
Speaking in Otuke district, he also said the victims of cattle raids in Lango and Acholi sub-regions will receive relief aid from the Government.
The President directed the State Minister in charge of Northern Uganda, Grace Freedom Kwiyucwiny, to coordinate with all the relevant authorities as well as the Office of the Prime Minister to document all the affected persons for them to receive assistance.
Museveni was Tuesday responding to calls by political and cultural leaders from Lango to the Government to assist the displaced people in the affected areas.
The meeting took place at Baralegi State Lodge in Okwang sub-county, Otuke district.
Lango sub-region comprises the districts of Alebtong, Amolatar, Apac, Dokolo, Lira, Kole, Oyam, Otuke, Kwania as well as Lira city.
“I totally agree with you,” Museveni told the meeting.
“We shall bring to the Cabinet the issue that students of the displaced study for free until the situation stabilizes so that they don’t lose out from where they are now.”
“We shall also compensate those who died during the raids and assist the injured. The Prime Minister should send relief to the displaced persons and the Minister for Northern Uganda should coordinate. I will definitely assist each family.”
On the proliferation of guns in Lango and Acholi that are brought in from neighboring countries, Museveni said mindset is key.
“The problem here is [that] raiders look for guns. They must lose appetite for the gun. They will look at a gun on the ground and will not touch it. You touch the gun, and you are dead. You wait, they will lose appetite,” he vowed.
Communication system
The President reechoed his firm determination to end cattle rustling in Acholi and Lango, saying the the gaps are known, including slow response rate.
An effective communication and response system is important.
“I went to Karamoja last year and I advised them to use phones in their kraals, where a contact person in the kraal communicates to the battalion, who in turn contact the division. That should make a quick response.
“Here in Lango and Acholi there are no kraals, so there is need to set up a system to have a security contact per parish with a toll-free phone to ring the battalion that immediately calls the division that must also have soldiers who are on duty and alert 24 hours,” suggested the President.
He said the quick response must be the eyes day and night in the form of planes and drones that must be dispatched immediately to the scene of crime to follow and see where the cattle rustlers have gone.
“These people are stealing cows which are easy to see during the day or at night. When the raiders are spotted, they can call the gunships that can also operate at night. We have all the capacity to solve this problem.”
Once the rustlers are dispersed, the canine section of police can then easily track down the criminals.
The President cited the crimes committed in Masaka district, where Police dogs helped in tracking down the suspects.
He said manpower can easily be mobilized from the youth who are willing to be conscripted into the force and will help in stemming cattle raids.
Gen. (rtd) Museveni, who is the commnder-in-chief of the armed forces, said the government will in the meantime also recruit 12 local defence units (LDUs) per parish in the districts bordering Karamoja, who will be trained and equipped to help the army.
He urged the commanders to always consult and guide the citizens on matters of security.
The President is optimistic that with the new command in the region, cattle raids will come to an end.
During the meeting, he introduced the newly appointed commanders to the Lango and Acholi leaders.
▪️ Maj. Gen. Don Nabasa is the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division based in Moroto
▪️ Brig. Gen. Keith Katungi is the commander of the 5th Infantry Division based in Acholi-pii
▪️ Brig. Gen. Mbusi Lukwago is the newly appointed Chief of Operations of UPDF based at the Land Forces headquarters in Bombo.
Corruption
Museveni further pointed out corruption as another bottleneck and wondered how the security apparatus like the DISOs, ISOs and others just look on when the vice is rife in their areas.
“Be with the public because they are the victims of corruption,” he stressed, adding that some of the delegates from Acholi whom he met earlier on Monday disclosed that there was some connivance with the army.
The President tasked resident district commissioners (RDCs) with compiling a report on all such activities for easy follow up.
On the issue of infrastructure as raised by the chairman of Alebtong district, David Kennedy Odongo, Museveni said security roads could be opened from Lake Bisina to Kapelebyong-Olilim-Abim to Orom in Kitgum district.
The President welcomed the suggestion of reviving the Ground of Tactical Importance (GTI) as recommended by some leaders, saying the move will deny raiders any passage through those points.
He also directed that a Police post be created in every sub-county with 18 personnel to properly manage security issues in their respective areas of jurisdiction.
Museveni also welcomed the proposal of taking LC3 chairpersons to National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi for training. He said they will be clustered in groups of 500.
On her part, Dokolo Woman MP Cecilia Ogwal (pictured below) commended President Museveni for visiting the people of Otuke district where his home of Baralegi is located.
She said the people of the area have embraced very seriously government programmes, especially that of wealth creation and that the area is now developing.
