The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Legislators from the Greater North Parliamentary Group have questioned the list of beneficiaries prepared by the Attorney General for compensation for lost cattle during the conflict in Northern Uganda.
The MPs from Lango, Acholi and Teso sub-region held a meeting with the Attorney General and Deputy Speaker of Parliament Anita Among on Tuesday to reconcile issues of cattle restocking in Northern Uganda following the Lords Resistance Army-LRA insurgency and cattle rustling among other wars.
The Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka explained that the Ministry of Justice is currently dealing with 92,652 people from Northern Uganda who are verified and not in dispute. He revealed that of this, 16,946 are from Acholi, 42,042 from the Lango sub-region and 33,664 from the Teso region.
He said 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 however said this isn’t the final list, adding that more people will be verified.
Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, the Bar dege-Layibi MP in Gulu municipality said that whereas the Attorney General is talking about 16,000 people verified, the Acholi team has over 17,000 claimants. He also noted that there is a need for the government to come up with an agreed-upon cost per animal.
The Agago North County MP Amos John Okot said that when the first verification was done, Agago only had 14,000 claimants.
Jonathan Odur, the Erute South MP said the failure to restock cattle in Lango has affected livelihoods. He said everyone in Lango who lost a relative and cattle among others during the war should be compensated.
Opio Samuel Acuti, the Kole North MP said that many people will be left out if government goes by the current figure.
Anthony Esenu, the MP Kapelebyong said that since the process has been rejuvenated, there is need for the other stakeholders to embrace it as it has been long overdue.
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament Anita Among asked the MPs not to bring the matter of compensation to the floor of the house, but instead handle it outside together with the Attorney General, government, and local leadership.
She warned the team to ensure that the program is not abused by including fake claimants on the list of beneficiaries. She says that at one point her name was on the list and yet she was not a beneficiary.
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Compensation should be done as soon as possible because when the financial year elspse, government will take back the money to consolidate account yet the program has been took long And beneficeries are much disturb because they account are always getting dormant. They are reopening account time and again.
For UPDF Engineering Bredgade taking over the construction, to is a good move because they’ll be value for money not an like other contractors who usually connived with District Engineer.