By Mulengera Reporters
Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, has vowed to investigate the recent visit of elders from Teso Sub-region to the National Unity Platform (NUP) headquarters in Kampala, where they demanded livestock compensation.
Among, a prominent leader from Teso, insisted that compensation claims stemming from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebellion and other insurgencies can only be handled by Parliament, which appropriates funds to the Government.
“I was very disappointed when I saw my very old men from Teso paraded at NUP offices. Is that the place that gives out compensation money? Compensation is appropriated by Parliament. That will not happen in Teso,” Among said.
At least 40 elders from Teso were arrested by security operatives last week shortly after visiting the NUP offices in Makerere-Kavule, where they expressed frustration over the Government’s delay in compensating them.
Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi, criticized the Speaker’s remarks, arguing that a legally registered political party cannot deny Ugandans an audience when they seek help.
“I don’t know what is illegal about that. These people came to our office and asked us to help them get their compensation. Would you chase them away?” Ssenyonyi asked.
Kira Municipality MP, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, also challenged the Speaker, questioning whether legislators’ roles should be confined to their areas of representation if people from Teso were not supposed to seek assistance from NUP.
“Are you reducing us to community leaders who cannot address issues outside our constituencies?” Ssemujju asked on a point of privilege.
However, the Speaker declined further debate on the matter and called for the next item on the Order Paper.
Among, who began her political career as an opposition activist in the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) before joining the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), has aligned herself with Eastern Region Vice Chairman, Capt. Mike Mukula, in neutralizing opposition influence in Teso.
Compensation Delays
By the end of 2023, the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs had listed over 1,200 war claimants in Teso for a verification exercise. The Government reported to Parliament last year that it had completed verification for war claimants in Teso, Lango, and Acholi sub-regions.
While at the NUP headquarters, the Teso claimants accused the Government of defying a 2023 court order mandating compensation for losses incurred between 1986 and 2003.
Their lawyer, Richard Anguria Omongole, told the media that his clients have decided to rally behind NUP ahead of the 2026 elections because the NRM, which they have long supported, appears unwilling to compensate them.
“We also ask the well-meaning people of Teso to join this call to support NUP,” Omongole said, questioning the Government’s restocking exercise in the region.
The claimants believe the Government’s sluggish response is due to the overwhelming support the NRM received in Teso during the 2021 elections, and that shifting their allegiance in 2026 would serve as a wake-up call-Parliament Watch. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
