UGANDA PEOPLES CONGRESS
NATIONAL SECRETARIAT
Plot 8-10, Kampala Road, Uganda House, P.O Box 37047, Kampala. Phone/Fax:
+256-41-236748
PRESS STATEMENT
(Embargoed for release at 11.00 am, 4th June, 2007)
THE MYSTERY AND THE POLITICS OF THE NRM BALAALO (PASTORALISTS)
The media in the last few weeks has been awash with stories of violent clashes
involving pastoralist, the most recent one being in Queen Elizabeth National
Park and Buliisa District. The pastoralists from Buliisa are now trekking to
Kyankwanzi in Kiboga District and some have already arrived. The government of
the Republic of Uganda has officially informed the Nation that they will be
screened and resettled in Kyankwanzi although they planned to do these two
months back.
The Buganda Lukiiko in its sitting of Monday 2nd of July 2007 passed a
resolution rejecting the resettlement of Buliisa pastoralist on Buganda
territory .Of course their resolutions has been ignored and dismissed by the
NRM government. The Parliament of Uganda also joined the fray and discussed the
issue of these pastoralist as they a wait the government official explanation.
The people of Uganda are asking several questions
a).
Who are these Balaalo? Is it true as Gen.Tinyefuza stated that these are
Banyarwanda of Ugandan origin and Banyankole?
b).
Where do they originate from? Apart from Banyankole Balaalo's,where are the
roots of Ugandan Banyarwanda?
c).
Who arms and facilitates their movement in trucks? According to Gen.Tinyefuza
they are not armed but Ugandans from areas where they have passed through saw
them with arms. This requires conclusive investigations to determine the truth.
d).
Who protects them?
e).
Why do they roam around with their cattle in apparent impunity without serious
government intervention?
The Uganda Peoples Congress wishes to unravel the mystery of these Balaalo.
These wanderers are part of the "Special NRM Politics" who over the last two
decades have been organized, armed and facilitated to primitively accumulate
cattle and acquire permanent territories nationally as part of NRM grand scheme
to perpetuate its strong hold on the political, economic, social and cultural
life of Uganda. Their activities are not isolated nor are they accidental or
incidental acts of a few misguided individuals.
The first phase of this NRM Balaalo strategy was the massive theft of cattle
from Teso, Lango and Acholi during the insurgency between 1987-1989. During
that painful period Special Resident District Administrators (RDC'S)mobilized
and organized the Balaalo who had been herding cattle on behalf of the Teso,
Lango and Acholi masters to revolt against their masters and enable them to rob
thousands of cattle while their erstwhile masters were herded in camps. The
Special District Administrators armed these Balaalo, provided them with
security and cattle movement permits that facilitated their transit from
Northern and Eastern Uganda to Southern and Western Uganda.
The next phase of these NRM supervised broad day robbery involved the plunder
of well established and stocked ranches in Kashaari, Nyabushozi, Masaka and
Buruuli. These were established in 1960's by the first UPC administration to
modernize agriculture and expand our export base. Squatters and neighbors of
these ranches were systematically mobilized and organized to take over these
ranches between 1990-1992.Later the government legalized and formalized these
territorial acquisition by Balaalo through the Ranches Restructuring Board
which formally dispossed the former owners of these ranches and promised to pay
them compensation.
Unsatisfied with these ranches, the NRM government through its machinery
mobilized, organized and facilitated these Balaalo to move and acquire more
land in Bunyoro, Lango, Teso, Acholi and West Nile. With the exception of
Buliisa County in Bunyoro where they acquired land and settled until recently,
the natives of other sub regions resisted and repulsed the NRM political
Balaalo.
Finally UPC calls upon the government to seriously settle his issue of roaming
pastoralists by engaging and consulting with stakeholders in whose area
government desires to settle them.
For God and my County
Mama Miria Kalule Obote
President, Uganda peoples Congress
The Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy"
Groupe de communication Mulindwas
"avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie"
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