Government to compensate LRA victims
Alebtong RDC Kennedy Adhola Otiti addresses LRA war victims in Abako Sub-county recently. Government is set to compensate all war victims who won legal suits against the State. PHOTO BY Bill Oketch
What you need to know:
Assurance. Pledge made by the President while meeting area leaders last week.
Kampala. President Museveni has assured local leaders from Lango and Acholi sub-regions that the government will compensate victims of the two-decade insurgency in the northern region.
The President made the reassurance while meeting local leaders, including the district chairpersons and resident district commissioners from the two sub-regions at State House, Entebbe, on June 30.
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah and Justice minister Kahinda Otafire were also in attendance, according to the district leaders from Lango.
However, the President reportedly told the delegation that not all the two million people affected by the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) conflict will benefit from the compensation scheme, but only those that won the case against government in court.
Mr John Baptist Okello, the chairperson of the Lango district chairpersons, said at a press conference in Lira Town on Friday that the meeting resolved that every financial year government will release Shs10 billion to each claimants group.
Three groups - Lango War Claimants’ Association, one led by Mr Moses Ocip, the chairperson Central Division in Lira Municipality, and another led by Mr Betty Akello, a farmer, sued and defeated government over compensation. Mr Ocip’s group has already received part of the compensation, while the process of verifying the members of Lango War Claimants Association and that of Ms Akello is underway.
Also still in court are the Acholi Debt War Claimants Association and the Lango War Claimants Association, which are demanding Shs1 trillion and Shs2.9 trillion respectively in compensation,.
Mr Moses Ogwang Adonyo, the coordinator of Lango War Claimants Association, appealed to government to expedite the payment or else their members boycott the 2016 general elections.
