Northern region leaders face challenge of over 80,000 head of cattle not in fenced land

Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  Nearly 80,000 head of cattle in northern Uganda belong to non-compliant migrant cattle keepers. These include cattle keepers who failed to fence off their land and provide water sources and those without adequate land for their animals.

This category of people was given three weeks effective November 3, 2023, to vacate the areas of  Acholi, Lango, and West Nile sub-region.

The ultimatum follows an executive order issued by President Yoweri Museveni on May 19 that the cattle keepers leave the area for being indisciplined and leaving their animals to destroy crops.

The first phase of the eviction which is expected to start today is aimed at those on unfenced land, on government ranches, and those without water sources for their animals.

State Minister for Northern Uganda Grace Freedom Kwiyucwiny told journalists in Gulu on Friday that although they are ready to implement the order, the timeline for the eviction is unknown because the implementation involves many leaders yet over 80,000 heads of cattle can’t be driven out in one day or a month.

She said all the districts affected have held security meetings and are finalizing the three aspects of the compliance; assessing fences, water sources, and the number of animals per piece of land holding them.

Kwiyucwiny notes that they are prioritizing the eviction of non-compliant cattle owners such as those whose animals overwhelm the piece of land holding them. She notes that cattle owners with many animals will have to either sell the animals or take the excess away.

Kwiyucwiny appealed to area leaders who may not be part of the implementing teams to cooperate in identifying non-compliant cattle keepers but not implement eviction themselves.  This follows incidences where more than ten locals were arrested in Palaro Sub County on Wednesday and Friday, for rallying locals to evict the pastoralists.

She stressed that it is only the work of the security committee and leaders assigned to implement the eviction, while the others should only notify the implementation team of the locations of the non-migrant cattle owners.

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