The President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni who was on a security assessment tour of the districts bordering Karamoja region on Friday afternoon met with senior UPDF officers, Police, Internal Security and RDCs of Lango and East Acholi sub regions at Barlege State Lodge in Otuke Couny Adwar sub-county in Otuke district to discuss ways of stemming the re-insurgency of cattle rustling that is now becoming commercialized and carried out by karachunas from Karamoja.
While Lango and parts of Acholi have not suffered serious cattle
rustling, security agencies reported increasing cases of cattle thefts
within the communities neighboring Karamoja.
“Coordinate with each other. In security, you must coordinate horizontally and vertically, that is the only way you can effectively provide a service. Blind deployment is tiring soldiers and costs more for nothing. This is not war, it is an intelligence led operation,” he said.
The President also challenged the police to plan and use government systems including chiefs to fight crime instead of pushing for more manpower.
“Cattle thefts need a law enforcement operation. Manpower must be paid for, must be fed, must be clothed! We must sit as security and see the most effective way the police exploit its force,” he said adding, “I challenge you to check the size of the force at Independence! The size of Uganda has not changed. The Uganda you are looking after is the same one handed over at Independence. They were managing
huge areas with small numbers. What you need is to plan and to use government systems like the chiefs”.
Karamoja has been faced with rampant cattle rustling since the people depend on cows for their livelihood.
of recent, Government had embarked on a disarmament campaign in the region claiming karamoja’s insecurity had been due to the fact that they own guns.
