Cattle-rustling tops key challenges in Agago, Abim

By Nelson Kiva, Johnisani Ocakacon and Edward Anyoli 

Citizens’ Manifesto

Despite being located in different sub-regions, Agago (Acholi) and Abim (Karamoja), the districts share a border and suffer from similar challenges. Agago is located on the western border of Abim.

The districts have a combined population of approximately 451,000 people, according to the 2024 Population and National Housing Census.

Cattle rustling  

Despite efforts to improve services and achieve prosperity for all, voters claim challenges, such as cattle rustling, stand in the way of peace and prosperity.

“People have fled to urban centres with their animals seeking protection. My own cows were recently stolen in the greater Adilang area. We need more security operations to stop this,” Peter Owili Coxon, a retired headteacher from Aloi in Patongo town council, Agago district, said.

In the past decade, security agencies have mounted operations to neutralise cattle rustling, but voters said the vice, which is partly rooted in age-old culture, needs to be wiped out from their areas.

Theresa Adong from Opyelo village said losing oxen used for ploughing has worsened poverty in the Acholi sub-region, already ranked among the poorest in Uganda.

Another Opyelo resident, Rosemary Adoch Ongom, claimed that rustlers took all her goats and cows. “As a single mother, I have nothing left to support my grandchildren’s education. The Government should compensate victims,” she said.

Govt’s take  

The internal affairs minister, Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, said the weapons used in rustling are obtained from outside Uganda.

“When our Government came to power in 1986, we started disarming various armed rebel groups and warriors in Karamoja,” Otafiire said.

Giving a testimony, John Robert Akiiki Adupa, the Lotisan sub-county LC3 chairperson and a former rustler, having narrowly survived being shot by the security forces, said: “I decided to reform.”

The Agago LC5 chairperson, Leonard Opiyo Ojok, confirmed that more than 5,000 cattle, goats and sheep had been stolen in raids, though some were recovered.

“The works and transport ministry has started opening security roads in Adilang sub-county. But more security personnel are needed to protect people and property,” he said.

Other issues highlighted by voters in both districts include a lack of drugs in health facilities, few secondary schools, bad feeder roads, food insecurity, a lack of safe water, unemployment, poverty, power shortage and outages, micro-security challenges and land grabbing.

Way forward  

To cure the cattle rustling challenges, Agago District Woman MP Beatrice Akello Akori, who is also the state minister for economic monitoring, said the Government has strengthened security in the district with the deployment of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces.

Early this year, over 30,000 illegal firearms were impounded and destroyed in the Karamoja sub-region.

Agago speaks

The voters’ concerns are also reflected in the New Vision Citizens’ Manifesto conducted between March and May, this year, where they highlighted key bottlenecks undermining service delivery. For instance, only about 17.6% of the respondents in Agago district endorsed the state of health services.

In education, more than 89% believe something should be done to improve the sector’s performance.

Only 13.9% of the respondents in the district approved of the state of the roads and transport, as more than 87% suggested more needed to be done in the spirit of better social services.

In agriculture, only 14.8% said enough had been done to support the sector. The Citizens’ Manifesto and survey involved 6,006 respondents from 58 districts across the 17 sub-regions.

Voters have their say

Denis Komakech: The Government should find a lasting solution to human-wildlife conflict in Agago and Nwoya districts since they border Kidepo and Murchison Falls national parks. They should also stop cattle rustling.

Agness Oroma: Leaders should bring changes and make communities’ voices heard. Mothers walk long distances searching for health services. Also improve the road network and education.

Isaac Mawa: Leaders must fight poverty and improve household income so that community members are financially stable.

Mary Apiyo: Work on the roads because throughout Acholi, Agago has the worst road network. Leaders should also improve education and support single mothers to come out in poverty.

Expert view  

Peter Wandera, the country director of civil society organisation Transparency International, said the money meant for service delivery at the district level is lost through corruption.

“If all these leakages can be addressed, it will definitely result in the provision of better services,” Wandera said.