Museveni gives balaalo 3 weeks to vacate northern Uganda

President Yoweri Museveni has given the non-compliant pastoralists known as “Balaalo” three weeks to vacate the North and North-Eastern parts of Uganda where they migrated to graze their cattle.

The eviction order comes five months after the president issued Executive Order Number 3 of 2023 directing that the pastoralists vacate these areas for failing to operate in an orderly manner, that would prevent their animals from destroying people’s crops.

According to Executive Order Number 3 of 2023, every pastoralist is expected to have a fenced land with a water source within, to prevent the animals from straying and trampling others’ crops.

A mini-survey to establish the number of nomadic pastoralists in Acholi following the Executive Order, registered at least 217 non-compliant pastoralists in the Acholi Sub-region alone.

The Survey was done between June to September by an inter-ministerial technical committee led by Prof. Jack Nyeko Pen Mogi, the chairperson of the Uganda Land Commission, and deputized by Anthony Akol to ascertain the different aspects of the issues contained in the Executive Order.

While meeting land owners, the pastoralists in Okidi Parish in Atiak Sub- County, Amuru district on Friday, president Museveni directed the Division Commander, the Regional Police Commander, and the Minister for Northern Uganda to ensure that the pastoralists who have not fenced the land on which their animals are grazing, to leave in three weeks, whether the land is theirs or not.

President Museveni also ordered that, “those grazing animals on the government land and ranches in Aswa in Acholi and Maruzi Lango leave within the specified period,”

The Minister for Northern Uganda Grace Freedom Kwiyocwiny earlier said, “during our consultations on the executive order, and our interaction with the community, some groups said they wanted the pastoralists to be immediately evicted, while others said the eviction should be done gradually,”

However, Museveni said he would have the last meeting on the divergent views, as well as those who have fenced their land.

Kwiyocwiny said the, “rate of land sale in Acholi has increased because of the high poverty level and the desire to transition into the money economy,”

The chief of the Atiak Rwot Santo Apire, said the locals who sold land were ignorant of the fact that customary land can’t be sold.

A recent report by the inter-ministerial technical committee formed to investigate issues of the executive order, found that there are 899 cattle farms in northern Uganda.