Museveni in Acholi Over Cattle Compensation: Will the Four Categories of Claimants Finally Benefit?

Museveni in Acholi Over Cattle Compensation: Will the Four Categories of Claimants Finally Benefit?President Museveni meets Acholi leaders over the decades-old cattle compensation dispute, with thousands of claimants still waiting for justice amid delays, disputes and unfulfilled promises.

After holding meetings with leaders in Teso and Lango over cattle compensation, President Yoweri Museveni today shifts his focus to Acholi subregion, where over 28,000 claimants await answers.

This marks the fifth time the President is engaging Acholi leaders on the long-standing issue, raising questions on whether this meeting will finally provide closure to the “cattle question” that has lingered for decades.

The roots of the crisis stretch back to the 1979 Idi Amin liberation war, and worsened between 1986 and 1988 when livestock in Acholi was almost entirely wiped out.

Animals were taken by four main groups: the National Resistance Army, the Uganda People’s Democratic Army rebels, Karamojong raiders, and Alice Lakwena’s Holy Spirit Mobile Force

Museveni in Acholi Over Cattle Compensation: Will the Four Categories of Claimants Finally Benefit?

For more than 20 years, Acholi leaders have pressed for compensation with little success.

“We have talked in Parliament, met government officials and the Attorney General’s office, but all remain promises. We hear of billions released, but how much will each person receive?” asked Gulu City Woman MP Betty Aol Ochan.

Since 2021, government earmarked Shs200 billion for compensation, of which Shs159.5 billion has so far been released. At least 28,281 claimants have been paid nationwide. In Acholi, 4,836 claimants received Shs44 billion.

However, the payments have been marred by irregularities—verification gaps, skewed beneficiary lists, and delays in disbursement. Many genuine claimants have died, while others are too frail or poor to pursue their cases.

“The logic is simple: if these payments were invested in restocking at an average of one million shillings per animal, Acholi would already be thriving with 44,000 head of cattle,” one local leader noted.

Critics also point to the painfully slow pace of compensation. MPs such as Kilak South’s Gilbert Oulanya argue that Museveni must act decisively.

“The president must show the will to conclude this matter beyond campaigns. These elders have suffered enough. Government should settle this once and for all,” he said.

Despite earlier assurances from the Attorney General’s office that the compensation process would be concluded, the issue remains unresolved. With many claimants dying before they see justice, today’s meeting in Acholi could either mark a turning point—or simply another round of political rhetoric.