More than 4,000 people in Lira District will be compensated for
lost cattle during the conflict in the Lango region.
The beneficiaries are drawn from all sub-counties in the Lira
District and the two divisions of Lira City.
According to a list released by the Attorney General, out of the
10,085 claimants who had registered, 4,516 will be compensated.
Jackson Kafuuzi, the Deputy Attorney General explained that the people
approved for payment will be considered as a pilot because more vetting is
still ongoing.
//Cue in: “There are those…
Cue out: … in the next phase.”//
Ben Otim Ogwete, the Lira District Chief Administrative Officer
explains that the numbers were reduced after realizing that some people had not
lost animals while others did not have letters of administration.
“We received the list, there was a display at the sub-county and
verification exercise but of course there were gaps in several cases which
raised questions. For example, some people were 18years old at the time and
they were claiming they lost animals,” he said.
Beneficiaries who have been listed for compensation want the
process expedited.
Anjilo Okello, one of the beneficiaries wondered why the process
is taking so long yet some members are already very old and will die soon.
//Cue in: “We who went…
Cue out: … sweat of mine.”//
Luo byte:
//Cue in: “Ikom wan jo …
Cue out: … atii dong baa.”//
Another beneficiary Levi Okodi Macpio says that they have waited
for a long time to be compensated.
//Cue in: “His excellency…
Cue out: … not be abused.”//
Richard Cox Okello Orik, the Lira LCV Chairperson expressed
dissatisfaction with the number of beneficiaries. He explains that Lango was
deeply affected and the number of cattle which was lost was high compared to
other regions.
In 2014, the High Court in Lira ruled that War Claimants be
compensated by the government for loss of livestock and other properties during
the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency in northern Uganda. However, the
compensation process has dragged on since then.
Last week, the Attorney General, Kiryowa Kiwanuka told MPs that
the government has allocated Shillings 150 billion with each of the sub-regions
getting Shillings 50 billion. Kiryowa revealed that government is due to
release Shillings 50 billion for the compensation. He added that more people
will be verified.
