A group of Lango Leaders Call for Meeting with Museveni Over War Compensation

By Hillary Opio Omara

LANGO-A section of Lango cultural and political leaders is calling for a meeting with President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to discuss concerns surrounding the ongoing government compensation programme for victims of the Lango insurgency.

The call was made during the cultural swearing-in ceremony of the Awitong of Bako-Obua-Alilo clan, held at Alang Primary School in Okwerodot Sub-county, Kole District.

During the event, the newly installed Clan Chief of Bako-Obua-Alilo, Alfred Ojera, and the Alito Sub-county Chairperson, Tom Bernard Olet, raised concerns over the implementation of the compensation programme. Olet, who also serves as the Secretary for LC3 Chairpersons in Lango, urged the Won Nyaci of Lango, Eng. Dr. Moses Michael Odongo Okune, to engage President Museveni and secure a meeting between the President and all LC3 Chairpersons in the Lango sub-region.

He said the meeting would provide an opportunity for Lango leaders to present challenges surrounding the compensation of people affected by the insurgency. 

Olet criticised the decision to exclude government employees from the programme, arguing that many people who suffered during the insurgency lost property and livelihoods regardless of their employment status. 

He said the programme has created divisions within communities because only a limited number of beneficiaries have received payments, with compensation being processed at parish level. Olet proposed that each affected household should receive Shs 5 million as compensation to help address losses suffered during the insurgency, without discrimination.

Meanwhile, Awitong Alfred Ojera called on parents to take responsibility for the welfare and education of their children, expressing concern over parents who fail to send children to school, leaving them exposed to alcoholism and other social problems. Ojera, who also serves as the Officer in Charge of Okwerodot Police Station, further appealed to the public to stop indiscriminate tree cutting and other environmentally harmful activities, which he said have contributed to changes in weather patterns.

 In his remarks, Won Nyaci Eng. Dr. Moses Michael Odongo Okune urged the newly installed Awitong to promote education of young people about Lango culture and traditions, warning against practices that undermine cultural values, including the adoption of foreign marriage practices. He called on cultural leaders to document, teach and preserve Lango traditions for future generations. On environmental concerns, Odongo Okune blamed widespread degradation on destructive farming practices, charcoal burning and indiscriminate tree cutting, noting that communities are experiencing changes in rainfall patterns.

Dr Eng Moses Odongo Okune and the team

 He urged those engaged in such activities to seek guidance from environmental officers, adding that enforcement of government measures remains a challenge.

On war compensation, Odongo Okune said he understands the government has been compensating affected households but noted the programme still faces financial challenges. He revealed that he has signed the Lango war-compensation petition addressed to President Museveni, calling for a compensation package of Shs 5 million per affected household in Lango, Acholi and Teso, to provide relief to families that lost property, livelihoods and loved ones during years of conflict.