Gulu, Uganda: Hope is rapidly fading in the Acholi sub-region as the continued silence of the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, on the eviction of illegal Balaalo herdsmen has left residents disillusioned and furious.
The First Son, who, according to inside sources, arrived in Gulu last Friday for a four-day visit, was widely expected to act on President Museveni’s Executive Order No. 3, which directed the immediate eviction of all illegal pastoralists from Acholi land.
The directive, further reinforced by a two-week ultimatum from State Minister for Northern Uganda, Dr. Kenneth Omona, has since lapsed with no visible action taken and no public address from Gen. Muhoozi.
A scheduled meeting between the CDF and the Acholi Parliamentary Group (APG) was quietly cancelled without explanation, deepening suspicions that the government is retreating from its enforcement pledge.
During a hastily arranged press briefing at the Northern Uganda Media Club (NUMEC), a handful of APG members aired their disappointment and warned of political consequences if the Executive Order continues to be ignored.
“We thought the CDF’s presence in Gulu would mean trucks removing cattle from our land,” said Kilak South MP, Hon. Gilbert Olanya. “Instead, we see nothing. What is the government’s interest in our land? Some leaders have sold out, running after Balalo money, but Acholi has not been bought.”
Olanya accused Amuru District leaders of accepting bribes in exchange for silence, branding them “bootlickers” who had betrayed their communities. He warned that if eviction does not begin within a week, the ruling NRM party should forget about Acholi votes.
Former Leader of Opposition and APG interim chairperson, Hon. Betty Aol Ochan, echoed similar frustration, stating that the Balalo are not just trespassers but intruders desecrating sacred ancestral land.
“Our land is our bedroom,” Aol emphasized. “You don’t invite someone to your home and let them into your bedroom. We can share Gulu city with anyone, but not our ancestral land.”
She also criticized the weakening of cultural institutions, arguing that traditional leaders once safeguarded land and values but now lack the power and voice to resist land grabs.
The MPs recalled the legacy of Hon. Okello Okello, a late lawmaker known for defending communal land. They said his warnings over areas like Aswa and Apa were ignored until the lands were forcefully taken over.
They also insist this is not a tribal issue but one of justice and survival. “We are not tribalistic,” Aol clarified. “This is about protecting what belongs to us — our heritage, our future, our dignity.”
Despite President Museveni’s written order, the continued failure to act is fuelling fears that appeasement and silence are now government policy in Northern Uganda — a region already scarred by past conflicts and systemic marginalization.
As Acholi leaders grow louder in their demands, the looming question remains: will the government enforce its own order, or allow trust to erode further under the weight of broken promises?
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