Police, local leaders implicate army in Tororo cattle theft

Police and local leaders in Tororo have accused the army of involvement in the rampant theft of livestock in the district.

The allegations surfaced after the arrest of a key suspect in livestock theft, who was reportedly found hiding in a Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) detachment at Mile Six.

Mr Moses Mugwe, the Bukedi South Region police spokesperson, said: “We tracked him to his home in Katarama 'C' Village, Osiya Sub-county using our sniffer dog, but established that he was hiding in the army detachment.”

The UPDF Eastern Region spokesman, Maj Isaac Okware, confirmed the arrest of a civilian at an army detachment in Tororo but declined to provide further details, saying: “The matter is being handled by the Office of the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), who is the head of security.”

The suspect was arrested after police intercepted a Toyota Nadia carrying the carcasses of six cows from Katarama 'C' Village. The vehicle's occupants escaped. It was later established that the slaughtered cows had been stolen from Manjeri Adikinyi, Daniel Odoi, and Wilber Siogo. The car had been stripped of all seats except the driver’s to carry the stolen meat.

Mr Mugwe explained that the police, aided by a sniffer dog, tracked the stolen animals to a kraal in Katarama 'C' Village, where the cows were slaughtered. The trail then led to the suspect's home, where knives were recovered, but he had already fled.

“Local contacts revealed that the nearby UPDF detachment provided him with sanctuary,” Mr Mugwe added, saying the suspect was arrested despite the army's attempts to shield him.

Police investigations show that the stolen livestock, including cattle, goats, and poultry, are mainly transported to Mbale City and neighboring Kenya.

Mr Mugwe said the thieves, mostly from Mbale, collaborate with local contacts in Tororo, who help plan the raids before calling in their counterparts for execution.

Mr John Ekeya, the Tororo LC5 chairman, expressed concern over the increasing cattle thefts, noting that between 80 and 100 cattle were stolen in the past month.

Last week alone, 16 heads of cattle were reported stolen, some of which had been purchased through government programmes such as the Parish Development Model and Emyooga.

The surge in livestock theft threatens to undermine these livelihood programmes aimed at reducing poverty in Tororo, a district with some of the worst poverty levels in the country, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos). 

The worst-affected areas include Morukatipe, Mella, Apokor, Mukujju, Malaba, and Osiya.

Mr Alex Etyang, the LC3 chairperson of Mella Sub-county, said 39 cattle had been stolen in the past month and accused the army of protecting key suspects.

“The army at Mile Six even tried to prevent the police from arresting a suspect linked to the thefts,” Mr Etyang said.

He questioned why the army, which should be safeguarding citizens and their property, would protect a known thief.

Mr Etyang has since mobilised residents to form village vigilante groups to conduct night patrols.

“We have received information that some of these thieves are armed, so we’ll include police officers in the patrols,” he added.

Mr Samuel Odongo, the district councillor for Magoola Sub-county, warned that the spike in cattle theft has fuelled cases of mob action.

“With Christmas approaching, we fear the situation will worsen,” he said.

IMPACT

Last week alone, 16 heads of cattle were reported stolen, some of which had been purchased through government programmes such as the Parish Development Model and Emyooga. The surge in livestock theft threatens to undermine these livelihood programmes aimed at reducing poverty in Tororo, a district with some of the worst poverty levels in the country, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos). The worst-affected areas include Morukatipe, Mella, Apokor, Mukujju, Malaba, and Osiya.

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