The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Amuru, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Amuru district local government has given a one-week ultimatum to the owners of the cows that were impounded to collect them before they are publicly auctioned.
Last week, security authorities impounded 2,000 heads of cattle from Lakang sub county in Amuru district. The cows which reportedly belong to the balalo herdsmen, were impounded from land belonging to Madhvani Group of Company during a crackdown.
They are currently being held at Kololo police post. The animals were found grazing on the land unattended to even when the period issued for the herdsmen to vacate the area elapsed last week.
Michael Lakony, the LCV chairperson Amuru in an interview on Tuesday morning said that several heads of cattle are yet to be claimed by their owners. He says during the operations, the herdsman who were looking after the cows fled.
He however says that about 60 heads of the cattle have been claimed by the escort to Internal Affairs State Minister David Muhoozi.
According to Lakony, as a result, in consultation with the Ministry of Agriculture, they have resolved that the cows will be publicly auctioned because their continuous stay at the police station is not sustainable given the limited space and a possible security threat. This he says since there are reports that some of the herdsmen have firearms.
James Mudos Odoch, the councilor for Lakang says that cows had destroyed hundreds of acres of land of people who neighbor the company. He says as a result, farmers are wondering about the fertility of the land on which the animals have been grazing for months.
In 2017, the government through Madhvani Group of Company secured 10,000 hectares of land in Lakang covering six villages for sugarcane growing.
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