Rustlers roast stolen cattle next to presidential lodge

Napak, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The skin of one of the 158 cattle that rustlers audaciously raided near State Lodge on the weekend, where President Museveni was has been found.

The exhibit has been found by relatives of the director public prosecution Jane Francis Abodo, just a hundred metres from the presidential State Lodge Morulinga in Napak district, where the criminals roasted and ate the ‘mchomo’ before continuing on their journey with the stolen livestock.

The animals were robbed from the kraal of Abodo’s family, and one of the stolen cows roasted outside the state lodge. Abodo’s family members are bitter and even suspect the presidential guards participated in eating the stolen meat.

The cattle rustlers suspected to be Matheniko of Moroto on Sunday attacked the kraal and raided 158 cattle.

According to eyewitnesses, the warriors who were estimated to be 60 and armed drove the animals passing by the Presidential Lodge without any fear of being intercepted by the soldiers protecting the state lodge.

Mark Meri, a resident of Lominit village in Lotome sub county said he hid himself after seeing the armed warriors driving livestock in a terrible speed passed State Lodge Morulinga.

“When I saw the unusual way animals were running, I noticed there was something going on, so I entered inside the culvert and within few minutes, I saw armed warriors driving passing on top of a culvert I was hiding in,” he said.

Calementina Acuka, an elderly woman said the current raids will resurrect the highest level of malnutrition in Karamoja and poverty.

“If government continues lamenting on the security situation in Karamoja, it will be the end of Karimojong history,” she said.

Remigio Achia, the member of Parliament for Pian County who is also the husband to the DPP said out of 158 raided animals, they only managed to recover 29 cows and they were still tracking the missing ones.

He said this morning they discovered a skin of one of his raided animals abandoned in a place where they roasted it, just near presidential state lodge.

“I think even the soldiers guarding the presidential state lodge also ate my cow because, how can the animal be roasted just 100meters from the state lodge and no one can intervene to see why the fire is being set?” he asked.

Edrin Mawanda, the UPDF 3rd Division Spokesperson could not be reached for comment since his known mobile phone was off.

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