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Kapchorwa, Uganda | URN | Sebei leaders are pressing the government to extend its cattle-restocking programme to the sub-region, arguing that communities that lost livestock through cattle raids have been left out of an intervention currently benefiting other parts of the country. The demand comes as the government moves to expand the programme.
The Office of the Prime Minister says Shs80 billion was allocated for the 2025/26 financial year to support 16,000 households in Acholi, Lango and Teso, while a further Shs100 billion has been provided for the programme in the next financial year.
Sebei leaders say the region should also benefit because many households lost cattle through years of raids and insecurity.
The demand was presented in a resolution to Patriotic League of Uganda Secretary General Fadil Twalla during his engagement with PLU leaders and supporters in Sebei recently.
Fadil Kisos Chemaswet, the PLU Secretary for Publicity in Sebei, asked Twalla to push for the region’s inclusion in the government programme.
He said cattle restocking would help households that lost their livestock rebuild their livelihoods, while stronger security would be needed to protect the animals from renewed raids.
“It’s very important to live in harmony with neighbours. That’s why you should take this with all the attention it deserves,” Chemaswet said.
Kapchorwa District LC5 Chairman Vincent Chelimo said communities in the lower belts of Sebei continue to face insecurity linked to suspected cattle rustling.
Chelimo said farmers have lost livestock to suspected raiders from neighbouring areas and called for any restocking programme in Sebei to be accompanied by stronger security along border routes.
He said restoring livestock without addressing insecurity could expose beneficiaries to renewed losses.
Kween County MP William Chemonges said the concerns raised by the communities required urgent government attention.
The leaders also renewed their demand for a permanent solution to the long-running boundary dispute between Sebei and Bugisu.
Agnes Chesang, a resident of Ngenge Cell in Ngenge Town Council, Kween District, said the unresolved boundary has affected communities living in areas where the administrative status remains contested.
“We want the government to give us a permanent solution to this boundary issue so that our communities can live in peace and know clearly where the boundary is,” Chesang said.
Daniel Siwa Moi, a resident of Tumboi Village in Kaptanya Sub-county, Kapchorwa District, said livestock losses had affected families that depend on cattle for income and household needs.
“We also lost our animals, and we are asking the government to consider us when restocking is being done. Our people need to recover and rebuild their livelihoods,” Moi said.
Mark Chelibei, a resident of Chelwasta in Bukwo District, said restocking should be accompanied by measures to protect livestock from further raids.
“If the government gives us animals, we also need security to protect them. We are asking for both restocking and security so that people can recover what they lost,” Chelibei said.
The government currently provides Shs5 million to each eligible household under the cattle-restocking programme to purchase three heifers and two bulls. The programme is being implemented in Acholi, Lango and Teso, which government identifies as areas affected by past insurgencies and cattle raids.
Implementation of the programme has, however, come under scrutiny. In September, the Office of the Prime Minister warned that people who improperly accessed the funds would be investigated, arrested and prosecuted. OPM said it had received reports of ineligible people receiving money intended for beneficiaries.
For Sebei leaders, the expansion of the programme presents an opportunity for government to address livestock losses in a region that says it has suffered similar disruptions.
Twalla said he would forward the resolution to the relevant authorities and push for action on the concerns raised by the leaders.
He said his knowledge of the region’s challenges would help him present the issues to the relevant government offices.
The leaders’ demands come against a broader push for government interventions in the Mt Elgon area.
The Office of the Prime Minister says it is also implementing resettlement interventions for people affected by landslides in the Mt Elgon sub-region, with some families being moved from landslide-prone areas in Bugisu to land acquired by government in Kween.
The Sebei leaders are therefore asking the government to address three connected concerns: inclusion in livestock-restocking support, security to protect restored livestock, and a lasting settlement of the Sebei-Bugisu boundary dispute.
