Govt eases livestock compensation rules

President Museveni has directed the Office of the Attorney General to relax conditions for accessing livestock compensation.

As a result, claimants will no longer have to process a Tax Identification Number (TIN) to be able to access compensation for their lost cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. However, they will be required to use a National Identification Number (NIN).

Prior, a TIN was part of the requirements for the claimants in Lango, Acholi and Teso sub-regions to be compensated, according to the Office of the Attorney General. 

“I think we should stop the Attorney General. Our people are not town people to use TINs, I think what we should use is a national identity card because everyone has an ID.  Why don’t we use that instead of TINs, because TINs are elite issues and for the educated people who know how to deal with certain issues,” President Museveni said.

The President made the remarks while meeting leaders from the Lango Sub-region at Alidi Primary School, Loro Sub-county in Oyam District last Saturday.

Government has earmarked Shs150b to compensate people in the three regions for the livestock looted during the insurgency.

However, the compensation delayed because the claimants were reportedly struggling to acquire TINs.
Daily Monitor has learnt that of the 18,469 verified beneficiaries in the Lango Sub-region, only 12,000 had shown interest in processing TINs.

In Kole, local leaders in Alito Sub-county confirmed that only 400 of the 600 claimants had applied for TINs by December 10, 2021.

“The process is slow and some have decided not to apply because they think it is a waste of their time and resources,” Mr Tom Olet, the Alito sub-county chairperson, said.

In Amolatar, of   the  900 claimants only 500 were struggling to get TINs last year.
Introduction of TIN

On November 26, 2021, the Lango Parliamentary Group (LPG), headed by the Kole Woman Member of Parliament, Ms Judith Alyek, held a meeting with Attorney General (AG) Kiryowa Kiwanuka, to discuss livestock compensation.

The meeting discussed the submission of the list of persons who had filled the data cards and the request by the AG for TINs to speed up the compensation process.

According to a statement by the Kole North MP, Dr Samuel Opio Acuti, there was need to update the list with TINs, a mandatory requirement by the Finance ministry to enable them to process payment.

“He indicated that funds were available, but needed the list to be submitted by chief administrative officers to the office of the AG by December 3, [2021],” Dr Opio said.

He said they raised concerns over the mandatory requirement for TINs, whose timeline was too short . However, sources said it was extended from December 3 to December 10, which had overlapped the time frame for the submission.

“As the Lango Parliamentary Group, we want a meeting to plan a way forward,” Auma, who is the secretary of publicity of the group, said.

The President further directed the 23,573 claimants in Lango whose names were published as not approved be compensated too, bringing to 42,042 the total number of claimants.