Africa-Press – Uganda. Residents of Teso sub-region have renewed calls for the next government to prioritise compensation for the Arrow Boys, a local militia that fought alongside the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) to repel the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency in the early 2000s.
The community says many Arrow Boys were either killed, maimed, or lost property during the conflict, but their families have never been compensated despite repeated government pledges.
Paul Omer, the Mayor of Soroti City, said numerous families of fallen Arrow Boys continue to live in poverty, with some of their children resorting to the streets or prostitution to survive.
“The children of the Arrow Boys are suffering. Many of them have dropped out of school or ended up on the streets because their parents were never compensated,” Omer said.
He urged the people of Teso to reject the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and vote for the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) in the upcoming general elections.
During his campaign in Amuria District, FDC presidential candidate Nathan Nandala Mafabi pledged to compensate the families of the Arrow Boys and restore dignity to those who sacrificed for the nation.
“If a person in Teso lost three cows, I know how many cows they would be by now,” Mafabi said, adding that his government would address long standing grievances and ensure fairness in national compensation programs.
Mafabi also promised to create employment opportunities across all sectors, saying his administration would focus on practical solutions to boost household incomes and improve living standards.
He expressed outrage over the continued suffering of Teso residents despite the region’s agricultural potential, citing the abundance of cassava, cotton, and fruits as under utilised economic resources.
“The suffering of the people of Teso is not by accident it is due to deliberate neglect and corruption,” Mafabi said, vowing to bring a new wave of leadership that promotes equity, transparency, and development.
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