Irregularities mar livestock compensation exercise
A herd of cattle in Agago District that was rescued from cattle rustlers. Compensation for livestock lost during insurgency in north-eastern Uganda may delay due to irregularities in the list of those seeking compensation. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- According to Mr Philips Mwaka, the principal state attorney in the Directorate of Civil Litigation, Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, it was discovered that some people on the claimants list were either not residents of that area or they were not born yet.
Compensation of livestock lost during the insurgency in north-eastern Uganda may be delayed after it emerged that there were irregularities in the list of those seeking compensation from the government.
According to Mr Philips Mwaka, the principal state attorney in the Directorate of Civil Litigation, Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, it was discovered that some people on the claimants list were either not residents of that area or they were not born yet.
“During the verification exercise, we found out that people who were 18 or 20 years old claimed that they had lost cattle in 1988 and had registered as claimants for livestock which were lost before they were born,” Mr Mwaka said.
Mr Mwaka made the remarks on Monday while meeting public officers from the nine districts of Lango region at Lango College to sensitise them on the ongoing cattle compensation process.
He, however, said there is currently no timeframe as to when the actual compensation will start until the whole validation exercise is completed.
Mr Mwaka also said the team, comprised of a team of lawyers from the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, who compiled the lists three years ago, discovered that some genuine claimants were not honest.
“We are at the stage of identifying the rightful beneficiaries of the cattle compensation. Currently, we are at the display stage of the approved beneficiaries, but we are taking the work of validation to the sub-county level where claimants will be required to produce letters of administration for their deceased relatives who owned the cattle to prove that they are the right beneficiaries,” Mr Mwaka explained.
He, however, said the verification team which also included some private lawyers traversed all the districts in Lango and met the sub-county leaders to get more information on the claimants.
However, Ms Eunice Achola, the deputy Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of Kwania, noted that the key requirement for the cattle compensation is the national ID and wondered what would happen to the right beneficiaries who do not possess it.
“The issue of cattle compensation should not be politicised,” she added.
BACKGROUND
President Museveni during his campaign tour in Lango on November 12 announced that the government would release a total of Shs150 billion to compensate those that lost livestock during the past insurgencies in Lango, Acholi and Teso.
