UGANDA: PRESIDENT MUSEVENI CATTLE RESTOCKING BEING ABUSED BY NATIONAL RESISTANCE MOVEMENT RULING PARTY COUNCLORS

The usual Mavic Local Council II, Chairman of Pece Te-gwanda Alex Odongo Okoya, is among the Local Councillors who registered their children, led the walkout during the Gulu City meeting called by Gulu City verification committee to iron out the mischief, following Gulu City Planner John Charles Luwa proposal that a teams of Gulu City Executive authority will go on the fact finding to vet the names of beneficiary again.

GULU CITY-THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2026.

By Okumu Livingstone Langol, Uganda Correspondent.

Chaos ruled Gulu City Council restocking cattle from the over 667 beneficiary people who are supposed to be registered for the President Restocking programs, each individual will get UGX 5 million for the household to receive five cattle, each will be bought at UGX 1 million.

For years, Acholi sub-region cattle compensation took the Uganda government to court for failure to pay 21,000 cattle owners, over 50,000 from Lango Sub Region, and over 100,000 cattle owners from Teso Sub Region have not been paid. During the Presidential and Parliamentary Jan. 15, 2026, polls, the president promised to pay for cattle restocking.

President Museveni, National Resistance Army (NRA), looted cattle in 1986 after taking power from Gen. Titus Okello Lutwa. At the beginning of this month, there was an attempt by the NRM system that sent from of beneficiaries, faulting the community to register, indicating that they have received the 5 million shillings. Until movie Hon Gilbert Olanya raised the issues when he called a press conference in Gulu City, disowning the system

Alex Odongo Okoya, the area Councilor II, for Pece Te-Gwanda, Pece-Laroo Gulu East City Division, led the walkout at 5:30 PM local East African time, insulting Gulu City Planner and Gulu City Executive Authority, claiming that they have no mandate to vet Gulu City Beneficiaries for cattle restocking.

“Who are you, the City Planner and the Gulu City Authority? I can mobilise all these Local Councilors. I collect their signatures and petition the president Museveni to remove you from office. You want to go and vet the LC1s because we have registered our relatives instead of selecting elderly people, youths and widow and widowers. Because some of us even selected our wives and grandchildren.

Let us move out, and let the City Authority go alone to make verification. They wanted to let us, the LCs, fail in our forthcoming Local Councillors’ election. Why are they inciting voters against us? I can talk to President Museveni and the Director General of the Internal Security Organisation (DISO). I can talk to Norbert Mao, because he sent me the guidelines for restocking. Does it mean LCs are not part of Restocking?” Alex Okoya bragged.

John Charles Luwa, in his communication, read the guideline as follows: the Executive of Gulu City sat on Monday, April 27, and later the committee sat yesterday, Tuesday, April 28, and resolved that new verification should be done afresh. We want you to be there in your Division. On fact-finding.

Gulu City team will be led by Deputy Mayor, Mark Baker Ochola, City IT personnel, Ajok Christine Omoro, Lakwonyero George, and the Councillor for Disabled and Aber Laloyo.

Our Programs will start on Monday, May 6, 2026, in the Bardege Division in St Judith and Kanyagoga ward team. I will be there, in the morning hour, in the afternoon, Liberty ward and Techo ward, and team III will be in Kirombe in the morning, PHG church and Patuda ward and Layibi ward, Wii Awora Anga ward.

On Tuesday, our team will be in Laroo-Pece, Cuk Pa Labot, Patuda Abuka Green Land Primary school,, Alokolum and Kweyo Labour line, Pawel,  Pece Primary School, Pageya Laroo and Gulu Core PTC. Day three, we shall be in Wii Got Central and the final day, we shall be in Agonga, Bwongatira, Lawii Aul. Lokome, Koro Primary School, Pageya Acoyo Primary School, Pakwelo Primary, Akonyibedo School.

The category of the beneficiary for cattle restocking program is as follows: Elderly people, People living with Disability, vulnerable youth, child-headed family, former abductee, older woman, widow and widowers.

“I beg that the Local Councillors should wait for the second time, because you are not vulnerable, and we are not late to receive the money. The person who is going to be accredited to receive the money on your behalf, Mark Baker Ochola, the City Town Clerk and I, John Charles Luwa, the accreditation has not yet been done.

We have come out with this to eradicate corruption, although some of you, Town Agents for Agwee Kelly Komakech, have commented that corruption will never be eradicated. Mobilise your community to the Local Council.” John Charles Luwa argued.

Alex Odongo Okoya burst up with anger and ordered Gulu City Planner John Charles Luwa, saying, who are you to order us that you are going to make verification? I will write to the president and petition the President, who are you! Okoya charged.

“We shall throw you out, this man out. If LCs collected their signalers, we are going to remove you. This money is not your mother’s money; we shall stop this project. Bring the Executive here. Why are you bringing them? The power to elect the cattle restocking beneficiary is not vested in you; it is for us, the Local Councillors I and II,” Alex Odongo Okoya roared.

John Charles Luwa clearly stated that although the Local Council I have been mandated to select cattle restocking, LC II and the City Agent have the mandate to say whether the exercise was good or not.

Alex Okoya has excited all the LCs to boycott the meeting to weed out ghost names, he further revoked the Gulu City Planner and all the Security present in Gulu City August House, which includes the City Security Officer. Say, what are the problems if 21 people get the money, including the LC’s relatives?

After work, Members of the Northern Uganda Media Club (NUMEC) went and confronted Alex Odongo Okoya to clarify on ghost names allegedly registered by LCs who became the jury.

Julius Ocungi, from Radio Network, asked Alex Odongo Okoya why he walked out, and if he could clarify the name of the ghost list?

Alex Odongo Okoya, fumbling, says we have a walkout to detest why the Executive City Authority wanted to go and make verification, it seems they wanted to incite the public against them.” Alex Okoya argued.

Obwona LCI of Pece asked the question When you fail to work, what’s next? Later, the disgruntled LCs were called back in the City Council August house. John Luwa informed them that although they rejected an agreed position early resolved by Gulu City Executive Authority, the LCs must go back and sort up their mess.

“We have given you up to Monday, May 6, to come back with new lists of cattle restocking beneficiaries, but make sure that we are all Christian, Islamic, and Orthodox, and that we have faith.

“Some of us are Christian, Islam and Orthodox, you have deep in your hand, let your hand be clean, as we know that this is not our money, let us send it to the right beneficiary.” John Charles Luwa pleaded.

We have called the meeting because the issues came from the committee, that some LCs have registered their own people, wives, mothers, and grandchildren.” I am now putting together some of the renowned Councillors like you, Kilama LC2 of Layibi Lacan Kwite and you, Kelly Komakech, City Town Agent, we want the names of 667 beneficiaries.

We shall post the name and put it on a public board for viewing, and we are going to send radio announcements for the public to come and check their names. Should there be a complaint, therefore, we shall see the wrong people who made the wrong lists from there.