Shs1b pay for ex-combatants leaves Yumbe locals divided
Mr Rashid Ojoatre, a representative of some of the beneficiaries, hands over copies of a Memorandum of Understanding to the Prime Minister, Ms Robinah Nabbanja, during a meeting in Yumbe District in April 2025. PHOTO/ROBERT ELEMA
What you need to know:
- "I am not happy because few people were involved in this process. It would have been better if all of us were involved in the allocation of the money,” Mr Welborn Vuni
A fall out has emmerged between locals and the top leadership of Aringa Obongi Peace Initiative Committee (AROPIC) over Shs1 billion government compensation. As part of a successful peace process, a deal was signed between UNRF II rebels and the government of Uganda in December 24, 2002 and the government pledged to pay the money.
The AROPIC group helped to coordinate the peace talks . The Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs began paying the group last Friday, which created a lot of excitement among the members. But the excitement was short-lived after the names of some members were missing from the list, while others complained of underpayments. Speaking to the Monitor in an interview on April 21, Mr Welborn Vuni, one of the members from Odravu Sub-county, decried the lack of transparency in payments.
“I am not happy because few people were involved in this process. It would have been better if all of us were involved in the allocation of the money,” he said. “There were some women and councillors who received between Shs10 million and Shs30 million, but I was allocated less than Shs5 million. My colleagues got more money. What is the difference between me and them?” he added.
Similarly, Mr Yassin Anguyo, another beneficiary from Aria Sub-county who missed the money, said most beneficiaries were not AROPIC members. “The real persons who were involved in the peace negotiations were left out. The money landed in the wrong hands and we were left in suspence,” he said.
According to Mr Anguyo, some of the nonmembers of AROPIC who benefited were campaign agents and family members of the officials of AROPIC, and that was why some families went home with more than Shs100 million. Mr Akubaru Ajiga, a resident from Barakala Town Council, said he stood as the next of kin to his late father, the then LC I secretary.
“My father participated in collecting the guns from the rebels, and we lost many animals at that time.
We worked on the documents, which were a requirement for getting the money but I was disappointed after I found my names missing from the list,” he said. “We saw young people who were not the next of kin benefiting from the money, and yet they were not born by that time. This is corruption,” he added.
In response, the chairperson of AROPIC, Mr Ashraf Olega, said: “I haven’t allocated money for my family members, unless someone adduces proof, otherwise people who are making such allegations are the ones who blocked us for 25 years. We had around six committee members who allocated the money to the rightful members.”
“Nobody gave me a single coin, but I was using my resources, and I have done this allocation in a free and fair manner,” he added. The Yumbe District chairperson, Mr Asiku Abdulmutwalib, said: “The peace agreement succeeded because of the individuals who made contributions under the umbrella of AROPIC. The government has now fulfilled its pledge by paying the members.”
Govt response
The State Minister for Defense in-charge of Veteran Affairs, Ms Huda Oleru, said the group played an important role in the peace process. She said after the conclusion of the peace initiative, the President promised to give them Shs1b to benefit about 94 members of the group.
“We didn’t participate in generating the list of the beneficiaries as the ministry. The group had the executives who generated the list with the allocation of the money but my role was just to bring the finance controller to pay the beneficiaries,” she said.
