How the look for votes in Acholi has corrupted our president, leading him to push apart his core principles
THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | President Yoweri Museveni has issued orders to evict all pastoralists (Bahima and Batutsi of Kinyankore and Kinyarwanda culture) from the Acholi living. These people, who are recurrently known as Balalo, migrated to Acholi searching out out land. Many of them supplied their land, properties, and other sources in Western and Central Uganda, where land is scarce, and migrated to Acholi, where land is extra essential. In Acholi, they either sold or rented land from native people and settled there with their cows.
Some native elites in Acholi, led by the Chief Justice Owiny Dolo, began a marketing campaign towards Balalo. It is complicated to pinpoint the categorical complaint towards Balalo consequently of this share of Acholi elites raises somewhat just a few considerations at somewhat just a few cases. At the starting set, they claimed Balalo had “grabbed” land from Acholi peasants. Balalo produced aquire and/or condominium agreements with native people. These elites now claimed Balalo’s cows had been eating the plants of Acholis (kwonesa). Museveni ordered Balalo to fence their land and achieve water sources inside their land or face eviction. Balolo complied.
On Wednesday, I seemed on tv with the minister for Northern Uganda, Kenneth Omona, and the feeble MP for Agago and feeble chief of the opposition, Morris Ogenga Latigo, to chat about this discipline. I listened to those two gentlemen in silent wonderment and did not earn their level. Right here is consequently of they elevate a hotchpotch of considerations that are complicated to admire.
Latigo claimed Balalo had did not mix into the native community. Would possibly well probably also mild any individual lose their cultural identity consequently of they beget left their “ethnic dwelling” and settled someplace else in the country? That Balalo aquire land from impoverished Acholis cheaply. Who determines the label of land: Latigo or the market? Omona made a identical snort that the Acholi beget correct advance out of internally displaced people’s camps (it’s two decades now) and are uncomfortable and inclined. So Balalo aquire land from them at giveaway costs.
A Mulalo desirous about land meets the family or clan that owns the land. The family/clan writes and indicators a declaration to sell the land. The assembly is attended by the Rwot Kweri, (cultural institution land handbook) and native council officers. Then land is surveyed, a label is negotiated for aquire or condominium, and the transaction is concluded. The acquisition or condominium agreement is endorsed and stamped by native council officers. Any Mulalo desiring to take cows there will must beget all these paperwork from LC1, 2, and 3, plus the GISO confirming aquire or condominium of land.
Then the Mulalo goes to the District Veterinary Officer (DVO), the LC5 chairman, and the RDC to earn approvals. With this pile of paperwork, the Mulalo goes to the ministry of agriculture, where the minister MUST personally signal a certificates of compliance. Then a Mulalo will get a letter from the commissioner for animal successfully being in the ministry of agriculture, which he takes to the DVO of his dwelling living to be allowed to transport cows to Acholi. Clearly, not every Mulalo adopted this job, nonetheless a majority beget.
Why then is Museveni evicting Balalo? No one’s land has been grabbed forcefully from them. Moreover, if that came about, the perpetrator(s) ought to be punished as people, not the entire community. Aren’t Ugandans allowed to aquire land and resolve in any fragment of this country? Many Acholi leaders, including Dolo, beget sold land and constructed homes in Kampala. Would possibly well probably also mild Baganda ask for all of them to be evicted? In Toro (where I advance from), many of us from all the plan through Uganda, nonetheless particularly Bakiga and Banyarwanda, beget settled there. At the starting set some elites tried to show this into an ethnic discipline nonetheless had been resisted. This day all of us reside collectively in harmony. Hence one of the MPs from Toro are Banyarwanda, Bakiga, Bahima, and loads of others.
The root that Acholi peasants are being given low costs for their land is ridiculous. It isn’t very most efficient the Balalo who are shopping land in Acholi. Some Europeans, Chinese, and Indians beget sold land in Acholi for substantial-scale farming. Many Acholi elites are additionally shopping land in Acholi. The Acholi politicians are not asking for a freeze on land purchases or rentals on the entire. Their snort is explicit to 1 community, the Balalo. That’s ethnic politics. I’m disenchanted that Museveni has joined this ethnicized anti-Balalo marketing campaign.
This ethnic antagonism is a creation of colonial politics of divide and rule that submit-independence African elites beget sold into, customarily with catastrophic consequences. As an instance, it is not only that Luos and Balalo are somewhat just a few people. I’m inclined to mediate that many Balalo are descended from Luos. My spouse is a Muhima from Nkore. She has brothers who are immense, shadowy with shadowy gums. Positioned on a street in Gulu or Lira, they’re indistinguishable from native Acholis and Langis. I meet Tutsi of identical appears. The shared physical aspects are complemented by cultural ones.
As an instance, Latigo’s heart title is Ogenga. Banyarwanda beget a title, Mugenga, which I believe is a Bantunized model of Ogenga. In Tooro, we teach over with Langi, Acholi and Alur as Abakidi. Our feeble king became once known as Rukidi, that suggests son of Bakidi. The grandfather of the new director of ethical affairs at KCCA, Frank Rusa, became once known as Mukidi, i.e., Alur, Langi, or Acholi. The Langi and Acholi beget a title, Okidi, in living of our Mukidi or Rukidi. In my homestead in Kanyandahi, I really beget two nephews: Ocaaki and Oli. But any other cousin customarily known as Ocaya. Right here is now to not remark our king being known as Oyo or having names cherish Okwiri, Olimi, or Oleeti. The empaako of Batoro and Banyoro are all Luo phrases.
Therefore, many Balalo beget Luo (and Ethiopian and Somali) ancestry. After they scoot to carry out land in Acholi, they’re returning dwelling. I really feel a solid affinity to Luos in substantial fragment consequently of after I recite my ancestors’ names, after the fifth, the leisure of the names open up with O. Who is Omona or Latigo to disclaim my correct to advance dwelling with my cows if land in Kanyandahi is particular? Right here is ethnic politics that we must reject.
Museveni is opening a Pandora’s box when he supports the postulate that land possession ought to be in step with one’s ethnicity. That to aquire and salvage land in Toro, one ought to be a Mutoro; in Buganda, a Muganda. This became once the colonial policy. It undermined the evolution of a shared nationwide identity and consciousness. Every African observed themselves as people of a tribe, not the country. It MUST discontinue NOW!
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amwenda@ugindependent.co.ug
