BALAALO: 830 out of 80,000 head of cattle to exit Gulu, Amuru

Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  The committee tasked to implement the eviction of migrant cattle keepers has in the last five days identified nine cattle owners with 830 cattle to exit Gulu and Amuru districts in the second week of the eviction exercise.  It was reported last mont there there were more than 80,000 heads of cattle belonging to then non-complaint cattle keepers in the northern region.

The team comprising the District Security Committee, police, and UPDF is supervising the eviction and assessment of farms to determine if the fences are made of four strands of barbed wires, if there is a water source for the animals, and if the land is not overwhelmed by animals.

Seven of the cattle owners are from Amuru in Lakang and Atiak Sub-Counties collectively owning 604 head of cattle, while two cattle owners who collectively own 226 animals are from Palaro Sub-County in Gulu district.

Eight cattle owners in Amuru are accused of not having a fence around their farms and water sources, while one in Gulu is accused of not having a fence and a water source, and having a dispute with the community.

Speaking to journalists on the eviction process from Gulu on Sunday, Freedom Kwiyocwiny, the State Minister for Northern Uganda said they expect the cattle owners to have left by Monday, or the animals will be auctioned. Kwiyocwiny advised those who do not have money to sell some of the animals to get transport for their animals.

Kwiyocwiny revealed that within the last three days, the eviction team identified cattle owners next in line for eviction, and urged the non-compliant ones to do it swiftly to ease the process.

She appealed to those engaged in cattle farming to adopt modern methods of keeping their animals in a confined area, instead of leaving them to roam like in the past.

The eviction exercise dubbed “Operation Harmony” officially kicked off on November 25th, where more than, more than 250 animals were evicted from Amuru on November 26th, and 250 animals were made to exit Palaro Sub-County on November 27. The evictions follow a directive by President Museveni that the cattle owners leave the region for being indisciplined and leaving their animals to roam and destroy crops. Two past executive orders given on the cattle owners’ eviction were effected unsustainably.

Kwiyocwiny said Executive Order Number 3 aims to ensure that all non-compliant cattle keepers leave and do not come back, so there is no deadline.

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