4,000 approved for cattle compensation in Lira

Lira, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | More than 4,000 people in Lira district will be compensated for lost cattle during the conflict in the Lango region.

The beneficiaries are drawn from all sub-counties in Lira district and the two divisions of Lira city.

According to a list released by the Attorney General, out of the 10,085 claimants who had registered, 4,516 will be compensated.

Jackson Kafuuzi, the Deputy Attorney General explained that the people approved for payment will be considered as a pilot because more vetting is still ongoing.

Ben Otim Ogwete, the Lira District Chief Administrative Officer explains that the numbers were reduced after realizing that some people had not lost animals while others did not have letters of administration.

“We received the list, there was a display at the sub-county and verification exercise but of course there were gaps in several cases which raised questions. For example, some people were 18years old at the time and they were claiming they lost animals,” he said.

Beneficiaries who have been listed for compensation want the process expedited.

Anjilo Okello, one of the beneficiaries wondered why the process is taking so long yet some members are already very old and will die soon.

Another beneficiary Levi Okodi Macpio says that they have waited for a long time to be compensated.

Richard Cox Okello Orik, the Lira LCV chairperson expressed dissatisfaction with the number of beneficiaries. He explains that Lango was deeply affected and the number of cattle which was lost was high compared to other regions.

In 2014, the High Court in Lira ruled that war claimants be compensated by the government for loss of livestock and other properties during the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency in northern Uganda. However, the compensation process has dragged on since then.

Last week, the Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka told MPs that the government has allocated Shillings 150 billion with each of the sub-regions getting Shillings 50 billion. Kiryowa revealed that government is due to release Shillings 50 billion for the compensation. He added that more people will be verified.

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