RACE FOR STATE HOUSE! With AGAGO last, M7 Wraps Up Acholi, vows to end cattle rustling

Agago — President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has promised to completely end cattle rustling in the Acholi and Karamoja sub-regions, saying the government has both the technical and military capacity to deal with the remaining groups of raiders.

Addressing a rally in Agago District as he concluded his campaign tour of Acholi, the President said the army is fully equipped to crush the remaining cattle rustlers, whom he described as “a very little problem” compared to the past insurgencies that affected northern Uganda.

“We have the capacity to finish all these. The army has stopped war in Uganda and there will be no more war,” Museveni told the crowd.

The President said he had discussed the cattle rustling problem during his previous visit to the area and found that the army was capable of controlling the rustlers but was not fully utilising its resources.

“They were what we call bangokon — just walking on foot, tiring themselves following the raiders instead of using the full capacity of the army,” he said.

“Now we have the technology — the UAVs — to see them by air, day or night.”

Museveni said the government would deploy more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to monitor cattle movements and coordinate quick response teams whenever raids occur.

He also warned those thinking of starting conflicts that Uganda would not tolerate a return to war.

“Some groups are saying they will start war — if you start war, you will go to Gehenna, not to heaven. Uganda now has cooch (peace),” Museveni said.

No protected camps for cows

Turning to the issue of cattle camps, Museveni said it was wrong for some commanders to establish “protected grounds” for cows, comparing them to human protected camps used during past conflicts.

“People can be in protected camps because they are intelligent; they can bring food and eat. But cows have not gone to school; they are not intelligent and they chew a lot of grass,” he said. “So the answer is to eliminate the troublemakers so that cows can graze freely.”

Museveni dismissed claims that rustlers are now too clever, saying vehicles used to transport stolen animals can easily be tracked.

“When they steal cows, they put them in vehicles. But do vehicles fly? Vehicles are even easier to deal with because we control the roads,” he said.

“It is true the cows which were being stolen here were being taken to Kalerwe in Kampala. So I will discuss with the commanders and help them sort out this. This is a very, very little problem.”

Peace, infrastructure

The President said peace and national unity remain the greatest achievements of the NRM over the past 40 years, and credited the party’s philosophy of non-sectarianism for enabling Uganda to build strong national institutions such as the army, police, and civil service.

“We don’t care about your tribe or religion or whether you are a man or a woman. What we care about are your actions. That’s what Jesus taught us — we shall know them by their fruits,” he said.

Museveni also listed improvements in roads, electricity, telecommunication and water systems, describing them as pillars of economic infrastructure that the NRM government has steadily built. He recalled how electricity had to be extended from Lira to West Nile and Kitgum, and eventually to Adilang and Kotido, after foreign donors withdrew funding.

“A cow which is not your mother’s bride price — if they give you a hoof you say thank you very much. When the Swedes refused to continue funding, we said we shall do it ourselves,” he said.

The President urged citizens to be patient with government priorities, comparing development planning to walking.

“You can’t walk by putting both legs up because you want to move fast. You must move one leg up, one leg down. That’s how people walk,” he said.

He added that teachers and other public servants must understand government’s budget limits and allow priority to be given to infrastructure and energy, which he said will ultimately create more opportunities for everyone.

“In the bush, when we had little food, the one who ate was the one on duty. Not because he was the most important, but because we needed him most at that time. That’s how we survived — by emphasising what we needed at that time,” Museveni said.

Museveni assured the people of Acholi that the government would finish the remaining road projects in the region and continue consolidating peace and development.

“We have peace, we have electricity, we have telephones. Now we must build more roads. It is already in the programme,” he said.