War victims demand cattle compensation

“If the money has been released, he [Attorney General)  would have notified because they (claimants) usually come to us about the same issues of payment.”

In mid-July, Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Norbert Mao said the government has earmarked Shs200 billion to compensate war debt claimants for their livestock lost during the past insurgencies in the county this financial year.

Mr Mao said the funds would be used for cattle compensation not only in the north but also in the Luweero area that was ravaged by the five-year guerrilla war that brought the current government into power .

The minister noted  that the money will be used to pay 14,667 claimants who were partially paid as well as those who have never received any compensation.

But Mr Moro said his recent attempts to cause the same ministry to rectify numerous irregularities in the compensation list have not yielded much.

“I have written to the Attorney General about the reconciliation of the list, but he has not yet replied. For that reconciliation to happen, the Attorney General should write back to me so that we reconcile the list of the claimants.”

In October, the government through the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs said a total of Shs3.4 billion had been disbursed to the districts of Omoro  in Acholi Sub-region and Kumi in Teso sub-regions to compensate war claimants for their livestock lost during the  Lord’s Resistance Army(LRA) insurgency.

In 2022, Mr Moro  said the two districts missed out on the Shs1.7 billion that each district in Lango, Acholi and Teso sub-regions received due to procedural irregularities.

Mr Jackson Kafuuzi, the deputy Attorney General,said at a recent stakeholder engagement in Gulu City that the districts of  Omoro and Kumi had missing and incomplete data cards of the beneficiaries.

His statement was in reaction to Ms Betty Acan, a leader of Koch Clan, who had challenged him to explain the delayed compensation process in Omoro.

Ms Acan told Mr Kafuuzi that the claimants in the district were tired of the long wait for the money and that many are dying without receiving their compensation packages .

When the (compensation) exercise was launched in the 2021/2022 financial year, the Ministry of Justice was given Shs60billion, translating to Shs1.7bilion for each district. 

“When this financial year started on July 1, we received Shs9billion in the first quarter, we expected to receive at least Shs30billion. Out of the Shs9billion, we have set aside money [Shs1.7billion] for Omoro and Kumi who did not receive money earlier,” Mr Kafuuzi said.

He added: “We are still going through the process of verifying the data that is being sent to us by the chief administrative officers of the two districts.” 

Mr Kafuuzi dismissed claims that  the Justice ministry was deliberately withholding the money to the disadvantage of the claimants.

“Last year, we expected money, which we did not receive. So we completed the year without paying and that raised a lot of queries and people thought we were sitting on their money. ... but please be patient,” he added.

Mr Kafuuzi  also said the government has rejected requests from West Nile and Karamoja sub-regions to be included in the compensation scheme.

“The President says we cannot bite more than we can chew. Let us first handle this exercise and we see its progress.” 

In 2021, the Office of the Attorney General revealed that the government had verified a total of 16,946 claimants.  

Gulu and Omoro districts topped the list with a combined number of 4,927 claimants, Agago 3,393, Nwoya 1,995, Kitgum 1,983, Amuru 1,470, and Lamwo 1,408.