Apac, Uganda: Growing tension is sweeping across Lango subregion’s Apac District as returning Balalo pastoralists are accused of wreaking havoc on farmlands, sparking fears of an impending food crisis.
Residents in Akokoro Sub-County and Ibuje Town Council say uncontrolled cattle movements are destroying gardens, threatening livelihoods, and stoking conflicts that local leaders warn could soon turn violent.
“Our gardens are gone. These animals are feeding on everything,” lamented John Kenedy Okee, a resident of Rwakisasa Cell, Awila Parish, Akokoro Sub-County. “We are staring at hunger. This is no longer a small issue — it’s survival.”
The Balalo, a nomadic cattle-keeping community from northern Uganda, have reportedly returned in large numbers to graze on Maruzi Ranch, a 64-square-kilometre government facility.
However, over 1,000 acres of the ranch have been leased to a private investor for palm oil production, leaving limited grazing space. Communities allege that the herders now allow their cattle to roam freely into residential areas and farms, trampling crops and fueling public outrage.
Residents say the herders are uncooperative and dismissive of local authority. “The worst thing is that the Balalo herdsmen refuse to cooperate. They don’t follow our by-laws. And when their animals destroy our crops, they disappear,” said Sam Okello, a resident of Amii-Aberidwogo Cell, Ibuje Town Council.
Okello noted that the lack of dialogue has deepened mistrust and created a volatile situation between desperate farmers and herders who seem untouchable under local enforcement systems.
Leaders sound alarm
Peter Obong Acuda, the District Speaker and Councilor representing Akokoro Sub County, told DailyExpress that the situation had reached a breaking point. “We will work closely with the district security team to end this problem once and for all,” Acuda said. “This is a security matter, an economic matter, and a human rights matter. People’s livelihoods are under threat.”
Alex Ogota, the LC3 Chairperson of Ibuje Sub County, said several warnings have been issued to the cattle keepers, but defiance persists. “Many of them are hesitant and simply refuse to cooperate,” Ogota said. “If this continues, I fear the communities will take the law into their own hands to protect their food. No one wants that.”
Apac Resident District Commissioner, Andrew Onyuk, denied claims that the Balalo were using land illegally, instead blaming locals for aiding the herders. “Some local people are the ones harbouring these herdsmen and their cattle,” Onyuk said. “They benefit from it quietly, then turn around and raise alarms when things go wrong.”
But community leaders dismissed the RDC’s remarks, accusing him of shielding the cattle keepers. “We are not stupid,” said Tom Okori, an elder from Teboke Village, Ibuje Town Council. “We know who is protecting who. All we want is our land, our food, and our peace.”
With the planting season underway and existing food stocks running low, residents fear the continued destruction of crops could escalate into widespread hunger and social unrest.
“This is a disaster in the making,” warned Acuda. “If the government does not act now to control cattle movement and enforce boundaries, we are going to lose not just crops but lives.”
District authorities are now calling on the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, and the Internal Security Organization (ISO), to intervene with urgent, enforceable measures regulating pastoralists using government ranches.
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