Prof. Ogenga Latigo
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Politicians are up in arms with President Museveni’s Executive Order mandating the immediate departure of all Balaalo from the Acholi sub region.
Museveni issued a second Executive Order yesterday instructing these nomadic herders to leave, a decision that has elicited mixed reactions.
Former MP and Opposition leader, Prof. Ogenga Latigo, stated that this issue should not be framed in tribal terms.
“The real challenge lies in the inability of farmers and pastoralists to coexist peacefully,” he said, questioning why this same group was previously evicted from Buliisa without anyone labelling it as tribalism.
“We are all Ugandans, and we should stand on level ground and be treated equally,” he said in a recent interview.
Political commentator Andrew Mwenda has voiced his discontent with the order, saying that for the order to hold water, then the Baganda should also expel all other tribes from the Buganda region.
“Why do all the other ethnic groups have the right to own land in Buganda while the Balaalo are barred from owning property in the Acholi region,” he asked, adding that its unfair that Ugandans who legitimately purchased their land are now being compelled to vacate it.
“This action contradicts the Ugandan constitution. Why should Basamia, Acholi, Batoro, and others have the right to own property in Buganda, yet the Balaalo are denied that same right in Acholi?.”
He said that he finds it outrageous that Ugandans who genuinely acquired land through willing buyer–willing seller agreements are now being evicted.
“This goes against the Ugandan Constitution, Pan-Africanism, and the very essence of being Ugandan. I’m not aware of any landowner in the North—be it a family, individual, or clan—who has claimed that the people occupying their land actually stole it from them.”
Yesterday, a group of Balaalo from northern Uganda marched to both Parliament and the Ministry of Justice to protest what they termed as “unjust evictions.”
They are urging for a thorough validation process before any evictions occur, asserting that their rights and investments must be safeguarded. Reports indicate that this matter was brought up by politicians from Acholi, rather than the local populace.
