By Our Correspodent
Government has extended the Northern Uganda cattle restocking programme from the initially planned five years to 10 years period.
The State Minister for Northern Uganda Rehabilitation Bearice Akello Akori said that the ten years implementation period will ensure all eligible households eventually receive cattle.
The cattle restocking programme initiated by President Museveni last year targets communities in the Acholi, Lango and Teso sub-regions that lost livestock during years of armed conflict.
In its first phase, the programme aimed to benefit 16,000 households through cash grants of five million shilling each in phases to purchase five head of cattle comprising three heifers and two bulls.
Speaking during a thanksgiving prayer for the Gulu Woman Member of Parliament Phoebe Janet Ayoo Obol in Bungatira Subcounty in Gulu District on Saturday, Akori confirmed that beneficiaries had already started receiving the funds early this month. Ayoo was celebrating her victory in the January 15 Parliamentary elections along with her supporters and various invited dignitaries.
A total of 80 billion shillings was allocated for the first phase during the 2025/26 financial year and by June,10,946 households had been approved to receive the cash transfers for purchasing livestock.
Akori noted that the government has earmarked an additional 100 million shillings in the 2026/27 financial year to continue the programme.
“In this financial year that started in July, the government has allocated UGX 100 billion for the restocking programme and another group of beneficiaries will receive cattle. This programme will continue for the next ten years so that every household eventually gets cattle,” Akori said.
She urged beneficiaries to use the money strictly for purchasing cattle, warning that misuse of the funds could undermine the programme and jeopardise future government support.
“If you don’t buy the cattle, you will create problems because we told the government that the Acholi are cattle keepers who lost their livestock while living in the Internally Displaced Persons camps which is why the government is restocking the region,” she said.
The minister also directed Resident District Commissioners (RDCs), Resident City Commissioners (RCCs) and district authorities to closely monitor the implementation process and ensure transparency in the selection of beneficiaries.
Under the programme, priority is given to the most vulnerable members of the community, including widows, widowers, former abductees, older persons, persons with disabilities and unemployed youth.
In Gulu District alone 329 households have so far received the 5 million shillings cash grants through mobile money.
However, Gulu District Chairperson Justine Obol Simpleman revealed that several local leaders accused of manipulating the beneficiary registration process have been investigated over corruption.
Obol warned that corruption could undermine the government’s commitment to restoring cattle numbers in the district beyond the intended 1,600.
“If anyone messes with this money, we shall not forgive them. We want to end corruption in Gulu District, and that is why some LCII chairpersons who abused the restocking process have been questioned while others have been arrested,” he said.
Patrick Okello Onguti, the Aswa County Member of Parliament criticised the pace of implementation, arguing that the current annual budget allocations are insufficient to reach all eligible households within the planned timeframe.
Onguti urged the government to increase funding for the programme to speed up implementation.
“If we continue at this pace, by the time everyone receives the money, the programme may already have ended. It could even take 30 years for all the affected households to benefit,” Onguti said.
The cattle restocking programme is intended to restore livestock lost during decades of insurgency while improving household incomes and rebuilding livelihoods in Acholi, Lango and Teso sub-regions.
