President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has said government is considering introducing a flat-rate cattle compensation plan across northern Uganda, a proposal he has already discussed with leaders in Lango, Teso and Acholi sub-regions.
While addressing campaign rallies in Alebtong and later in Otuke District on Thursday, Museveni explained that his idea is to have each affected household receive a fixed number of cattle rather than relying on an open-ended system.
He revealed that he had consulted leaders in Lango and suggested that every household should receive five cows.
Although some people expressed reservations, he said the ordinary wananchi welcomed the approach, noting that Teso had already embraced it, Lango was supportive and that he was awaiting feedback from Acholi before urging government to begin planning for its rollout.
The President reminded the people those years of war and persistent cattle rustling had wiped out the livestock wealth that once sustained households in the greater north.
He stressed that replacing this wealth was essential for rebuilding livelihoods and helping families stand on their own feet once again.
Alongside the compensation plan, he emphasized that peace and stability remain the foundation of Uganda’s progress, declaring that nobody would be allowed to disturb the hard-earned peace in Lango.
He told the cheering crowds in Otuke that national unity had always been the guiding principle of the NRM since it took over government.
Turning to the future, Museveni assured citizens that Uganda’s oil revenues, once production begins, will be channeled into critical infrastructure and services rather than squandered on luxuries.
He said money from oil would not be wasted on importing whiskey or perfumes but would instead be invested in roads, the railway, electricity, schools, hospitals and security.
In Alebtong, the President pointed to what government had already achieved in the district, including electricity connections and the maintenance of the murram road from Lira through Aloi, Apala and Alebtong to Abim, which is scheduled for upgrading.
He also cited the presence of 76 government UPE schools, 122 private schools and seven USE secondary schools, as well as the wealth creation initiatives like the Parish Development Model, the Youth Livelihood Fund, Emyooga and the Women Fund that are supporting households to increase incomes.
He urged citizens to take full advantage of these opportunities, warning that public infrastructure alone does not end poverty.
“Even if the government tarmacks the road, you do not sleep on the road. You go back home, where poverty may still be waiting. That is why we insist that people embrace programs like PDM and Emyooga for their prosperity,” he said.
Uganda’s commercial oil reserves lie in the Albertine Graben along the western rift valley.
Government, working with international companies, is constructing production facilities and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline to transport crude to Tanga in Tanzania.
Museveni noted that once production begins, the billions expected annually in revenue will be directed into infrastructure and social services to accelerate transformation across the country.
