”They can stay there today, but if anything happens to Museveni, they can be slaughtered there; we cannot be slaves of money.” Prof Ogenga Latigo warns
GULU CITY-THURSDAY JUNE 26, 2025.
The Executive Orders numbers 3 and 2 of evicting the Balaalo migrants from Northern Uganda is the only opportunity to save the Balaalo. If Museveni goes, the Balaalo claimed to have bought customary land, will be slaughtered.
Prof Morris Ogenga Latigo on Wednesday. June 25, while appearing at 10:00 PM to midnight UBC TV the program known as Behind the Headline shocked Ugandans, saying the Presidential Executive Order is the only window to save the Balaalo who are using their mighty money from being killed after President Museveni passed on.
“When President Museveni is still there, the Balaalo can still stay in the land they claimed to buy in the Acholi Sub Region, but if Museveni goes there, they will be slaughtered. Prof.Ogenga warned.
Adds that in 2000, when he acquired the land in Nwoya District for farming, whenever he was going, he would buy meat for the community, things like salt, and essential commodities he would take them to the community. And even UGX 5,000 he was taking to the community, his rapport with the people was excellent. But, the Balaalo, their behavior with the Acholi community is worse to the extent that at night they graze their animals into people’s gardens, and they have been accused of taking birth in the open.
When he was challenged by Andrew Mwenda and Kennedy Okello, who claimed to be the chairman Acholi Land Owners Association, supporting the Balaalo not to be evicted, challenging Presidential Executive Order by insinuating that the Balaalo have bought land from Acholi legitimately, Prof Ogenga Latigo stressed that the land in Acholi has 7 tiers of land, the homeland, the grazing ground, the farmland, the playing ground, the hunting ground, the stream and rivers and the mountain ground.
Dismissing claims by Kennedy Okello the so called Chairman of Acholi Land Owners Association there are crooks people who do not have land, because they have sold communal customary land, when people went back from the Internal Displaced People’s camps to their villages, they went and grabbed part of Acholi land tiers like hunting ground.
When challenged by Andrew Mwenda, he is part of a land grabber. Prof Ogenga Latigo refuted the allegation and further clarified that he bought the land from Nwoya District only for farming, and when the time came, he left, because he lost interest in farming.
Timothy Nyangweso, the host of UBC TV behind the headline talk show, put the question to Prof. Ogenga Latigo to clarify the tribal issues against the Balaalo buying land. he says that the Acholi land ownership is a customary land tenure system. Therefore, that cannot be sold unless clan leaders agree.
The former Leader of Opposition, Prof. Ogenga Latigo, warns Andrew Mwenda to stop labelling the Acholi community as tribal and turning to Kennedy Okello, questioning him what the leaders are doing now when he and Dr. Kenneth Omona are complaining, and other leaders too.
People, the Balaalo have to move with their cattle, question, and go to where they came from, and later, the teams of auditors will be appointed to make an independent verification, with the clan leaders and leaders of Acholi. It is very simple, the process that is taking place is wrong, the Acholi is not America, where it was discovered to displace the Red Indians.
When there are issues, there must be a strategic way of solving them; enough is enough. a case in point. In Agago District, when cattle rustlers raided cattle from the community, people raised (Kelemente) ululation to chase the Karamojong.
“Acholi land is our identity. When you insult some of us, we are not happy. Let me ask you why the Balaalo were not buying land in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s? Why is this thing very fundamental for us, Acholi? The entry of Balaalo in Acholi is something to us when someone is not cultivating land in the 1960s. Andrew Lord Adimola had 5000 exotic cattle for beef, and Wilson Lutara had a modern farm in Nwoya District, the best from East Africa.”
When we see the Balaalo in Acholi, when the conflict is not solved, the fundamental principle of resolving issues is today what happened in the past. Let me tell you where the Aswa ranch and the Acholi ranch are, and look where they are.
”They can stay there today, but if anything happens to Museveni, they can be slaughtered there; we cannot be slaves of money on our land.” Prof Ogenga Latigo warns.
Waving the document which Acholi Leadership Forum presented to President Museveni during live UBC TV talks show telling the audience that in May 2013 we sent this document to president Museveni about the Oil and Gas indicating that 75 percent of Oil is in Acholi Sub Region not Bunyoro Sub Region as they government of Uganda claimed, you want to grab that, referring to Andrew Mwenda who posed as a spokesperson of the Balaalo against the backdrop Presidential Executive Orders saying that the Balaalo must not go from Acholi land.
Prof. Ogenga Latigo, in a hit back at the government, informs the listeners of UBC TV behind the headline that recently his daughter, who was working with Uganda Oil Company, was fired from the job, yet she has a Master’s Degree in Oil and Gas.
Dr. Kenneth Omona, the Minister of State for Northern Uganda warns Kennedy Okello and Andrew Mwenda that Uganda belong to all of us, there is nothing tribal if the groups of people who undermine us the Acholi community, especially the Balaalo were chased from Northern Tanzania, Eastern DR.Congo and even Bunyoro why do you not says its tribal?
“When you are a visitor in an area, who should learn the behavior of the other?” The State Minister for Northern Uganda stressed.
In Acholi Sub Region, Lango Sub Region, and West Nile, the Balaalo migrants have taken a big snuck of land, forcing people to raise up in arms to criticize the method by which they used money to acquire that land.
“I thank President Museveni for using his wisdom as he aged to realize the danger Balaalo will face when he goes to meet God.” Dr. Omona argued.
The Minister says that recently he toured the regions, starting from Acholi, Lango, and West Nile regions, when holding the BARAZA community hall meeting, this is what they talked about. They want Balaalo to leave their land; in fact, this is the issue they say, and they do not condemn the tribe. But the behaviors of individuals and violence.
“I pity the Federation of East African countries because there will be a mass effect in rural areas, technical eviction during the 14 years ago operation was overseen by Gen. David Sejus,a where you have heard that a group of people are causing trouble. In the Buganda region, people are traumatized. we want the president to do this because people are very vulnerable.
The issues of the customary land tenure system, the land rights of Acholi communal land, you cannot own land, land is won by clan leaders.
Hon. Okello Okello Livingstone, Chairman of Wang OO forum while addressing Acholi Leadership Institution recently says those who have purported to have bought land, they have bought air, and Acholi land is customary communal land.
“Those who claimed to have bought land, unless they buy land that has a land title, and the land title is transferred to the new buyers. But if customary land, did the clan leaders agree to the sale of that land, Okello Okello stressed?
The Right Rev. Emeritus Bishop Baker Ochola of Kitgum Anglican stressed that the Acholi land customary system blocks those who purported to buy land from individuals because land in Acholi is owned communally.
Rwot John Ogenga Obita, Rwot Labongo Amida says all the land which was grabbed by Balaalo will be turned particular under the stewardship Rowdi in the areas where the Balaalo has been chased back to its originally communal customary land tenner system.
Betty Kibwota, the former Vice Chairman of Nwoya District Council, added her voice, saying the Balaalo people should not remain behind, stressing that Presidential Executive Order numbers 2 of 2025 and 3 of 2023 spelled out the term by which the Balaalo eviction should be carried out.
“It says all Balaalo must leave North-Eastern Uganda with their animals, why now Spokesperson of UPDF 4th Division David Kamiya is contradicting his statement over Radio Rupiny that the Balaalo cattle only leave Acholi land, and the people who claimed to have bought land are remaining. This hollow statement.” Betty Kibwota mooted.
The Black Star News has learned that Gen. Salim Saleh has removed his animals from Northern Uganda and taken them to South Sudan.
David Kamiya, the Spokesperson for UPDF4th Division, early on 24th June 2025, says, the Balaalo cattle keepers are on the move with their animals, but people are still remaining until the audit verification is set in place. As we are talking now, other people have left voluntarily. The UPDF is giving them express pass movement.
“I am here in Don Petrol station on Gulu Kampala highway, seeing 8 trucks of Lorries. Moving with their animals,” UPDF spokesperson says
