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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Parliament has adopted a motion urging the government to immediately intervene in the fresh cattle raids aided by numerous porous borders in Karamoja.
The motion for a resolution of Parliament urging the government to take immediate steps to restore peace, security and stability in Karamoja region was moved by Arua Municipality MP Wadri Kassiano and seconded by Dodoth East MP Samson Lokeris, Matheniko County MP John Baptist Lokii and others.
During the debate on Thursday steered by Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah, Karenga Woman MP Rose Lilly Akello said that they were experiencing external raids especially from South Sudan. She said that in the past few days, they experienced raids in different sub-counties where the attackers use guns to take cattle.
She appealed to government to make security deployments at the porous borders that allow for the infiltration of illegal guns into the country and ensure that the situation does not go out of hand.
Kotido Woman MP Margaret Aleper Aachilla reported that since last year in September, the security situation in Karamoja deteriorated following attacks from the Turkana in Kenya. She said that the attackers come in large numbers overrunning the currently few deployed soldiers. She equally appealed to increased deployment by the UPDF in the area so that they counter the attackers.
Kabong Woman MP Christine Tubo Nakwang said that government needed to show commitment to the peace process in Karamoja. She said that it was important to lay ambushes in the night and also engage communities to fight the raids.
Kilak North MP Anthony Akol stated that the government has paid little heed to the problems of Karamoja ever since the First Lady Janet Museveni left the docket of the Minister of Karamoja. He argued that if the Uganda People’s Defence Forces -UPDF can be deployed to ensure peace in other parts of Africa why can’t it first ensure peace within the country.
Akol says that government’s neglect of the Karamoja region was reflected in its meager allocation of resources to the area.
Kachumbala County MP Patrick Isiagi said that the disarmament process had ushered in some peace and that government should take serious action to maintain peace that Karamoja had experienced.
The Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs Adolf Mwesige, said that the UPDF was taking action to ensure peace noting that the army was beefing up force numbers to the level of a brigade in order to cover all rustling corridors and porous borders.
He noted that the regional mediation efforts have been ongoing to contain the insecurity especially from the Pokot and Turkana rustlers from Kenya where he stated that liaison officers have enhanced coordination and information sharing.
Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah said that the matter was being raised consistently on the floor of parliament and that it needed to be dealt with. When he put the question on the motion, it was adopted unanimously.
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