Africa-Press – Uganda. President Museveni on Friday vowed to eradicate cattle rustling and criminality in Karamoja Sub-region.
The President, who was recently in Karamoja to assess the security situation, made the assurance on Friday evening at State House Entebbe during a follow-up security meeting with leaders from the sub-region.
“We are going to stop these cattle rustlers. We want them to be cattle keepers not cattle rustlers,” Mr Museveni told the leaders.
The leaders from Moroto, Napak, Nabilatuk, Amudat, Kaabong, Abim, Nakapiripirit, Karenga and Kotido districts complained about escalating insecurity caused by cattle rustlers and criminals using illegal guns.
The Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Wilson Mbasu Mbadhi , the minister of Karamoja Affairs, Dr Mary Gorreti Kitutu, and her deputy Agnes Nandutu, Members of Parliament, district chairpersons and mayors, among others attended the meeting.
The President told leaders that his National Resistance Movement party government has put in place a strategic security plan that will eliminate cattle rustling and criminality in Karamoja once and for all. The details of the new anti-cattle-wrestling plan were not disclosed.
Some leaders in Karamoja Sub-region last year called for a fresh disarmament exercise to remove all guns that are being used by cattle rustlers to destabilise the area.
The calls followed recurring cattle raids between the Matheniko of Moroto, Jie of Kotido, Dodoth of Kaabong, Bokora of Napak and Pokot of Amudat, and Pian of Nakapiripirit and Nabilatuk districts.
Between 2001 and 2002, government disarmed Karimojong of firearms used in raiding cattle from the neigbouring regions such as Teso. The army managed to collect about 50,000 guns.
On the issue of famine, the minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Ms Esther Anyakun, reported that her ministry had procured 1.48 tonnes of food relief to be transported to the in Karamoja region on September 27 (tomorrow).
She said the first beneficiaries will be people from the districts that are badly hit by famine. These include Kaabong, Kotido and Moroto.
Mr Remegio Achia, the chairperson Karamoja Parliamentary Group (KPG), thanked President Museveni for his timely intervention in eliminating cattle rustling in Karamoja sub-region.
