Lango war claimants urge govt to expedite compensation

War claimants in Lango have asked the government to expedite the process of compensating them for property lost and loved ones killed in the two-decade insurgency in the sub-region.

Ms Elizabeth Akullo Delyon, the general secretary of the Lango War Claimants Association (LAWCAS), said more than 500 claimants died before receiving compensation.

Mr George Ogweng, 68, a resident of Telela Cell, Aloi Town Council in Alebtong District, said he sold his land in pursuit of compensation for cows stolen by Karimojong cattle rustlers in 1986.

Mr Sam Edward Okullu, the LAWCAS coordinator for Barr Sub-county in Lira District, said he was knocked by a motorcycle and his legs were broken while following up on the issue of their compensation on November 28, 2023.

“What pains me most is that the majority of our elderly people who suffered harm in the hands of LRA [Lord’s Resistance Army] or Karimojong cattle rustlers have died before tasting this money,” he said.

The Lira District Woman MP, Ms Linda Auma, accused the government of paying lip service to the issue.

She added that NRM-leaning candidates promise to expedite the issue if elected but after attaining office, they renege on the pledge.

Ms Auma warned that if the claimants are not compensated, the NRM party would lose support in Lango Sub-region.

Mr Karl Peters Emukon, the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) national vice chairperson for Teso, said the problems the people of Lango face under the current government are also experienced in neighbouring Teso Sub-region.

He said in Teso, the LRA rebels, the Karimojong and rogue National Resistance Army [name later changed to Uganda People’s Defence Forces] soldiers also stole cattle.

“In Teso, President Museveni has kept on tossing the people of Teso during election times that he will compensate the animals that were taken, but for the last 40 years, nothing has happened,” Mr Emukon said.

“My humble appeal on behalf of the people of Teso is that if Hon Jimmy Akena assumes power in 2026, he should address the problem of animals.”

During a rally in Dokolo Town on January 13, 2024, Mr Akena, the Lira City East Division MP, said for the last 17 years, he has been asking the government to compensate Lango Sub-region for the stolen livestock. 

“I cannot keep crying dok a Lango (Lango cattle) this year, dok a Lango next year, dok a Lango the year after and dok a Lango pe abino (When will Lango residents be compensated for stolen cattle?),” Mr Akena, the son of former president Apollo Milton Obote and leader of UPC, said. 

He added: “Therefore, for me, I have taken a different decision. I know where decisions are made, and know if the decision is there, and the will is there and I know it could be done.”

Background

In 2010, war victims under the Lango War Claimants Association, sued the government, demanding Shs1.2 trillion in compensation for livestock lost during the conflict.

In 2014, the High Court in Lira ruled in their favour and ordered the government to compensate 69,475 claimants.

The court also ordered the government to pay Shs5 million and 25 percent interest to each claimant for general damages.

Justice Simon Byamukama Mugenyi, in his ruling on July 14, 2014, said it was the responsibility of the government to protect the residents and their properties during the conflict, ordering the government to pay the claimants in cash.

Court valued each sheep and goat at Shs150,000, a pig at Shs250,000 and each cow at Shs900,000. 

In the 2023/2024 Financial Year, the government allocated Shs50 billion to each of the three sub-regions of Acholi, Lango and Teso to compensate individuals whose livestock were stolen.

In August 2024, a section of leaders threatened to mobilise the masses to march to Parliament over the delayed livestock compensation.

Efforts to get a comment from Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka were futile by press time.

However, on August 28, 2024, President Museveni said he was planning to meet elders and leaders from northern Uganda to address the issue. 

Speaking at the official opening of the regional parliamentary sitting in Gulu City, Mr Museveni said the government is committed to paying the claimants.