Gulu, Uganda – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has issued a one-month ultimatum for the full audit and verification of all recipients and pending claimants under the government’s cattle compensation program in Northern Uganda.
The directive aims to establish a uniform rehabilitation rate for all outstanding claimants as the government seeks to streamline the long-running compensation process.
The move follows ongoing efforts that began in 2022 to compensate families in the Acholi, Lango, and Teso sub-regions, who lost cattle during the 1970s insurgencies and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) conflict. These wars severely disrupted the region’s economy and livelihoods.
President Museveni, who recently met with local leaders from the three sub-regions, accepted a proposal to have the process harmonized under a committee led by Minister for Disaster Preparedness and Refugee Affairs, Hon. Hillary Onek.
According to the government, over 28,000 individuals have so far been compensated, while payments to another 16,000 approved beneficiaries are pending due to budgetary constraints. However, during the recent engagements with regional leaders, an additional list of 12,000 claimants was presented, raising concerns about repeated and expanding claims.
In response, President Museveni emphasized that the compensation initiative should no longer be termed as “cattle compensation” but rather as a rehabilitation scheme, arguing that the losses suffered during the war were widespread and unquantifiable. “This is not about cows. It’s about recovery from the effects of war that affected everyone equally,” he told leaders from the Acholi sub-region.
President Museveni also previously sought input from residents of Lango on how best to resolve the compensation matter. During the consultation, several leaders and community members shared their views on how the program should proceed.
The government’s latest move is expected to bring clarity and closure to what has become a prolonged and complex process of post-conflict restitution in Northern Uganda.
