Government’s cattle restocking programme in Apac District is facing fresh hurdles, with beneficiaries struggling to access affordable livestock because of cattle scarcity and restrictions on animal movement.
The challenges came to light on Monday September 14, 2026, during an oversight visit by the Minister of State for Economic Monitoring, Ms Sandra Santa Alum, to assess the implementation and impact of government programmes, including the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga and cattle restocking.
Apac District Chairperson, Mr Ambrose Agec Opio, said 302 beneficiaries had received Shs5 million each, but the high demand for cattle had pushed up prices, making it difficult for beneficiaries to acquire the required animals.
According to Mr Opio, cattle prices in Lango currently range between Shs2 million and Shs2.8 million for a calf as opposed to between shs600,000 to Shs1 million before eviction of the Balaalo making restocking expensive for beneficiaries.
He said many beneficiaries would prefer buying cattle from other districts such as Masindi, Kiryandongo, Nakasongola and Bweyale, where they believe better breeds are available and prices are more favourable. However, restrictions on cattle movement have made it difficult for traders and beneficiaries to bring animals into Apac.
‘We are even asking the minister to help us talk with the President, to help the community go and buy the animals from that side and bring them to Apac,’ Mr Opio said.
Apac has so far received Shs1.53 billion for cattle restocking, with officials saying 304 beneficiaries were identified and only two had not received the money because of mismatches in their credentials.
The programme, however, risks losing its intended purpose if beneficiaries cannot access cattle, warned Maruzi County MP Peter Obong Acuda.
‘The biggest challenge now is, since the money was meant to restock the cattle that was lost, as I speak now, there is scarcity of this cattle,’ Mr Acuda said.
He said beneficiaries were seeking to cross the Nile to purchase livestock but were being frustrated by quarantine and restrictions on animal movement.
Mr Acuda warned that some beneficiaries had started diverting the money to activities unrelated to cattle restocking, including construction, buying land, agriculture and other personal expenses including marrying women.
‘Now that they have diverted, there will be no physical accountability for the money which was meant to do a different thing,’ he said.
The MP appealed to President Museveni to relax the restrictions on cattle movement to enable beneficiaries to fulfil the purpose for which the funds were provided.
‘My appeal to President Museveni is that, let him lift the ban on the movement of cattle, so that at least this money makes the best use,’ Mr Acuda said.
Minister Santa Alum acknowledged the concerns and said she would raise the cattle movement restrictions with relevant authorities.
‘There is a stringent directive that they shouldn’t cross. So this one, I’ve picked it and I am taking it forward,’ Ms Alum said.
She said beneficiaries should be enabled to access markets where cattle are available and affordable so that the government can establish that the funds have been used for their intended purpose.
‘I want to believe that keeping money is not easy. So these people should be helped so that they go to the market which is cheaper and then they buy this cattle. This way, we can have evidence that the beneficiaries have put the money into its rightful use,’ she said.
The cattle movement dispute comes against the backdrop of President Museveni’s Executive Order No. 2 of 2025, which directed migrant Balaalo herdsmen to leave northern Uganda under an operation code-named Operation Harmony.
The order sought to address conflicts associated with unregulated cattle movements, with the President arguing that it was technically impossible to have healthy, mutually beneficial and conflict-free movement of unregulated livestock into northern Uganda.
The directive provided for restrictions on free-ranging livestock from outside northern Uganda and sought to criminalize the practice.
However, Apac leaders say the restrictions are now creating unintended consequences for a government programme whose success depends on beneficiaries being able to purchase and move cattle into the region.