Honoring a Vision Fulfilled: President Museveni’s Brilliance in Delivering Cattle Compensation to Acholi, Lango, and Teso

OPINION

 

By Our POLITICAL DESK

 

In the 1986- 2000 as the guns rattled across the plains of Karamoja and the scourge of armed cattle rustling drained communities of their livelihoods, it became clear that peace in the north and east of Uganda required more than military resolve. It needed vision, courage, and the political will to heal wounds that had long been left open.

 

It was in this spirit, during the 6th Parliament, that Capt. Mike Mukula tabled a landmark motion calling for the disarmament of the karacuna — the armed youth of Karamoja — whose activities had destabilized entire sub-regions. This motion was not merely about removing illegal firearms; it was a comprehensive strategy to restore peace, rebuild trust, and rehabilitate the socio-economic backbone of Acholi, Lango, and Teso: cattle.

 

One of the most important pillars of the motion was the principle of just compensation. The cattle raids had left countless families impoverished, stripped of their wealth, and unable to sustain traditional livelihoods. Mukula’s motion insisted that, alongside disarmament, there must be restitution — a restoration of dignity to the affected households.

 

Today, that vision has found its champion in His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. With characteristic foresight and an unyielding commitment to national stability, the President has set in motion a programme to award every single affected family with a few cows — not as charity, but as justice restored.

 

This initiative is more than a political gesture; it is a recognition of the deep cultural and economic significance of cattle to the people of these sub-regions. In Acholi, Lango, and Teso, cattle are not merely livestock — they are a store of wealth, a source of nourishment, a means of paying bride price, and a pillar of community identity. Restoring cattle is, therefore, restoring hope.

 

The President’s action sends a powerful message: that the state not only remembers the sacrifices and losses of its citizens, but is also willing to take concrete steps to repair the damage. It affirms that peace-building is not complete without economic and cultural rehabilitation.

 

Capt. Mike Mukula’s foresight in Parliament laid the groundwork; President Museveni’s decisive leadership is bringing it to life. Together, they have demonstrated that politics, at its best, can be a bridge between vision and reality.

 

As these cows return to homesteads, they carry with them more than milk and calves — they carry the promise of a better tomorrow, the warmth of reconciliation, and the resilience of a people determined to rise again.

 

In saluting His Excellency for this brilliance, we also celebrate a rare and precious moment in our national story: when a motion born in Parliament is faithfully implemented years later, and when the fruits of political advocacy reach the very households for whom they were intended.

 

This is not just a policy fulfilled. It is justice, walking on four legs, coming home at last.