Museveni issues one-month ultimatum for cattle compensation audit, redefines scheme as ‘rehabilitation’
The Paramount Chief of Acholi, Rwot David Onen Acana II informed the President that from the onset of the Northern Uganda rehabilitation program, about Shs3.8 trillion has been injected in the region but very limited impact on socio-economic transformation has been achieved.
President Yoweri Museveni has issued a stringent one-month ultimatum for the comprehensive audit and verification of all cattle compensation funds recipients and pending claimant lists in Northern Uganda. The directive signals a significant shift in the government’s approach, aiming to adopt a uniform rehabilitation plan for all affected communities.
“We give ourselves one month to study that,” President Museveni stated on Monday while meeting leaders from the Acholi sub-region in Gulu District. The discussions primarily focused on the ongoing cattle compensation initiative, which has faced mounting challenges.
To enhance transparency and combat fraudulent claims, President Museveni proposed that lists of all already-paid beneficiaries be publicly displayed in every sub-county. “Let us all see the 4,000 who were paid in Acholi and how much they were paid and also the 12,000 who are not yet paid but approved so that we do mass verification, in that we know that these ones are not false claimants,” he ordered.
The President emphasized the need for a unified approach across the affected regions of Teso, Acholi, and Lango. “In the whole of the North; Teso, Acholi and Teso. That will help us to deal with the other issue of ensuring a flat empowerment for all families reaches everybody, which everybody seems to accept. We shall have a committee to see how we can move now.”
President Museveni’s directive follows a three-year compensation process initiated in 2022 to assist families in Northern Uganda who lost cattle during the 1970s insurgencies and the devastating Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) war. While over 28,000 claimants across the three sub-regions have reportedly received funds, and payment to 16,000 additional beneficiaries is pending next budgetary allocation, the process has been plagued by a “cycle of endless cattle compensation claims.”
During recent interactions with leaders from Lango, Acholi, and Teso, an additional 12,000-strong claimant list was presented, prompting the President’s firm guidance. Museveni noted that the initial approach to the matter by leaders and claimants was “improper,” leaving beneficiaries vulnerable to opportunists.
“But even with our method of sending in money directly to the beneficiaries, you have heard the corruption surrounding it. Some few people are receiving. We have already spent Shs150 billion which is supposed to have gone to 28,000 people. They now need another Shs500 billion. If we have that money, should we do it this way or another way?” he questioned, highlighting the rampant corruption and the escalating financial burden.
Crucially, President Museveni also ruled out the “cattle compensation” narrative, redefining the scheme as a “rehabilitation” effort. He argued that the losses stemmed from wars whose consequences were universally detrimental and whose effects are fundamentally unquantifiable.
“In other parts of the world, you cannot compensate for war or for natural disasters like earthquakes,” he reiterated, signaling a move towards a more equitable and holistic recovery strategy for the war-battered regions. The upcoming audit and verification are expected to lay the groundwork for this new, uniform “rehabilitation” approach.
