Govt to auction cows of defiant Balaalo
Cattle belonging to the Balaalo drink water at Ayugi Bridge in Amuru District in 2018. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- Whereas animals from Nwoya and Amuru are exiting through the Karuma bridge checkpoint, a ferry has been set to transport animals that will cross and go through the Adjumani-Atiak-Gulu-Kamdini-Karuma route.
The government has issued a three-day ultimatum for Balaalo herdsmen to remove cattle from Gulu and Amuru districts because they will be auctioned.
On Sunday, the Minister for State for Northern Uganda, Grace Freedom Kwiyucwiny, in a media address disclosed that security rounded up a total of 830 head of cattle belonging to the non-compliant Balaalo herdsmen in the two districts.
Ms Kwiyucwiny said they were seeking a court order to proceed with the auctioning of the animals once the owners fail to remove them after the deadline.
“He or she will be issued with an exit permit, and this is going to be done by the DVOs [district veterinary officers], after they have been given the exit permits because they will have been found not compliant, they are given three days in which they will be allowed to remove their animals,”she said.
Ms Kwiyucwiny added: “If the three days expire and the cattle keeper has not brought trucks to remove his or her cattle, a legal process of eviction will start seeking an eviction order from the court.’’
Ms Kwiyucwiny said the 830 cows were impounded from Okidi Parish in Atiak Sub-County, Kololo and Kidi-mon in Lakang Sub-County in Amuru District and Labwor Omor, Palaro Sub-county in Gulu District.
In the address, the minister said the 830 cows have been taken to holding centres in Okidi and Lakang in Amuru and Corner Adee in Gulu District.
In a separate media address last Friday, Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny Dollo revealed that President Museveni said ‘‘he would direct the army that if you (herdsmen) run away your cows will be sold in an auction and the money put into the account there. If the Attorney General agrees that this is not illegal, you whose cattle were impounded and sold because you ran away, the money will be used to construct schools in the area where you committed the offences”.
“That (President’s letter) was copied to me, the Vice President, and Speaker of Parliament, Chief of Defense Forces,’’ the chief justice added.
An eviction map shows cattle from Otuke, Kwania and Apac are to exit via the Otuke- Lira- Apac- Masindi Port route while those from Arua, Madi Okollo, Terego, Moyo and Pakwach must go through Pakwach bridge checkpoint and will be recorded at Masindi port and Karuma bridge checkpoint respectively.
Whereas animals from Nwoya and Amuru are exiting through the Karuma bridge checkpoint, a ferry has been set to transport animals that will cross and go through the Adjumani-Atiak-Gulu-Kamdini-Karuma route.
Animals from Lamwo, Kitgum Pader and Gulu must use the Kitgum- Acholibur- Gulu- Kamdini - Karuma route and go through the Layibi checkpoint up to the Karuma bridge checkpoint.
Sources said the evicted Balaalo herdsmen and their cattle are yet to begin crossing Karuma Bridge and Masindi Port exit stations. However, they said about 200 illegal Balaalo need to be evicted.
Ms Kwiyucwiny, however, hinted that the eviction implementation has been constrained by a lack of funds. “Although the district security committees have submitted budget requests that I should present to Parliament for a supplementary addition of between Shs20 million and Shs30 million, the budget is not enough to complete the eviction exercises,” Ms Kwiyucwiny said.
Mr James Cosmas Okidi, the Gulu deputy RDC, said they need Shs150 million to buy fuel, feeding and transport to facilitate the transfer of the impounded animals to the gazetted government holding ground.
