GULU CITY, May 5, 2026 — Gulu City authorities have suspended the verification of beneficiaries under the government’s cattle restocking programme following concerns that ineligible individuals had been included on the list.
Officials say the exercise, which was intended to identify genuine beneficiaries, was halted after reports emerged that undeserving individuals had been listed to receive the Shs 5 million allocation under the programme.
Each household in the city is expected to use the funds to purchase three cows and two oxen.
Guidelines issued by the Office of the Prime Minister [OPM] in December 2025 prioritise elderly persons, persons with disabilities, widows, widowers, orphans, former abductees, female-headed households, and unskilled or unemployed youth.
However, reports indicate that some Local Council One chairpersons have included themselves and their family members on the beneficiaries’ list despite not falling within the targeted categories.
The guidelines further stipulate that beneficiary selection should be carried out by the district or city technical team, comprising officials from the production and community development departments.
This team is expected to work with sub-county community development officers and Gombolola Internal Security Officers [GISOs], under the guidance of local council leadership, to identify beneficiaries in each parish.
During a meeting held last Thursday, Local Council One and Two chairpersons, along with town agents, proposed holding a baraza [community dialogue] to verify legitimate beneficiaries.
John Charles Luwa, the focal person for the cattle restocking programme in Gulu City, said the verification process, which was expected to take two days, is crucial to ensuring that only eligible beneficiaries are selected.
“Some names would have been removed from the current list because they would not pass the test. We want genuine beneficiaries who fall within the categories outlined in the guidelines,” he said.
Luwa added that the current list would be displayed on the city noticeboard to allow the public to scrutinise and raise concerns.
“Let the public review the names and raise objections so that we can act. We want this process to be transparent. Even if submission is delayed, what matters is that the right people benefit,” he said.
However, Peter Banya, the Resident City Commissioner for Laroo-Pece Division, said further verification would only delay the programme.
“We have halted the verification exercise. We will submit the current list but carry out a more thorough verification for the August phase. We have already spent a lot of time on this process,” Banya said.
Gulu City authorities recently ordered the withdrawal of controversial cattle restocking form that had been used to identify and register beneficiaries.
The form, which included a section requiring potential beneficiaries to declare receipt of funds, raised concern among the public as disbursement has not yet begun.
The Government has earmarked Shs 80 billion for the cattle restocking programme in the Acholi, Lango and Teso sub-regions for the 2025/2026 financial year.
The initiative aims to improve household incomes, promote social mobilisation for development, and support peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts.
The programme comes amid heightened social tensions in the sub-region linked to the influx of Balaalo cattle keepers.
The cattle restocking programme aims at rebuilding livestock herds, especially cattle, in regions that lost animals due to conflict, cattle rustling, or past instability. The programme mainly targets northern and north-eastern Uganda, particularly Acholi, Lango and Teso sub-regions, which were heavily affected by the LRA insurgency and cattle raids.
https://thecooperator.news/gulu-city-withdraws-controversial-cattle-restocking-form/
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