In the heart of Lango sub-region, a scandal is brewing over the government’s Shs80 billion Cattle Restocking Programme.
Meant to boost cattle farming in Acholi, Lango and Teso sub-regions, the programme has instead become a magnet for fraud, according to an investigation.
Jennti Adong, a resident of Akuki Village, Abela Parish, Aleka Sub-county in Oyam District, thought she was lucky when she was enrolled in the programme. But when her colleagues started receiving messages about money being deposited last week, she was left scratching her head. It turned out someone had changed her phone number to divert the Shs5 million meant for her.
‘I approached the bank, and they told me my account was linked to another person’s name,’ Adong says. ‘I don’t know how they did it.’
Adong’s Wendi account linked to her registered MTN number 0767668248 was registered in the name of another person identified by Pearl Bank Uganda as Adriko Jimmy. This Wendi account is genuine and by June 10, 2026, it had Shs5,000. But Adong does not know the secret pin to this Wendi account except the one for her mobile money wallet.
How Wendi works in the programme Under the Cattle Restocking Programme, the government disburses money to beneficiaries using Wendi, Pearl Bank’s mobile money service platform designed to promote financial inclusion to all Ugandans.
Under the Wendi system, electronic value held by a customer or agent can be used to perform any financial transaction supported within the mobile money’s core system.
Wendi empowers users and groups, particularly those with limited access to traditional financial services, to access, manage, save, invest and pay for various services without requiring a bank account or smartphone, according to Pearl Bank Uganda.
When this reporter inquired about Adong’s issue, a staff member at the Credit Section of Pearl Bank, Lira Branch, indicated that the challenge with that Wendi account was that somebody proceeded to deposit money on it yet it was dormant.
Adong recalled she acquired the SIM Card through her National ID in April 2026. Pearl Bank’s data shows that Adriko Jimmy registered the Wendi account on February 13, 2025.
‘She now has the task to go to MTN Uganda so that they write for her a letter and confirm that yes this is her line, which she acquired through her national ID details. She may also need to verify whether MTN sold her an old line,’ said the bank’s staff.
This is just one of many cases. In Abela Parish, 16 people have been nominated to benefit, but discrepancies in their particulars have put the money at risk. Local leaders are implicated, with some allegedly changing names and phone numbers to siphon the funds.
Benson Odongo, Abela LC2 chairman, confirmed that some beneficiaries’ names were profiled without corresponding phone numbers. However, he said this anomaly was being rectified.
On June 10, 2026, our reporter bumped into a man at Pearl Bank, Lira Branch, who revealed that he was trying to withdraw money meant for his supposedly sick wife. But investigations revealed that the programme’s beneficiary called Janet lives in Barocok Village, Abela Parish in Aleka Sub-county. By press time, she was healthy and had not been to a health facility in months.
A local leader in Abela who asked for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue revealed that a lot is happening in the programme.
‘There is an old man here called Alfred Ogwang, the father of Jawa. Initially, he was registered to benefit from the programme but his name and phone number were changed. Local leaders are changing the beneficiaries’ names and phone details in order to eat their money,’ said the source.
The government’s programme aims to give each household Shs5 million to buy five animals. But with fraudsters at play, it’s the vulnerable farmers who are losing out. Authorities need to act fast to prevent further abuse and ensure the programme benefits those it was meant for.
Government’s position The Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Mr Alex Kakooza, last week indicated that the Cattle Restocking Programme was progressing well in Acholi, Lango and Teso sub-regions.
He said the government allocated Shs80 Billion in the 2025/26 Financial Year to implement the programme. Each household in the 33 districts across the three sub-regions is entitled to receive Shs5 million to procure three heifers and two bulls. This means the Shs80 billion budget will cover 16,000 households.
The PS noted that 559 households have so far received Shs2.8 Billion, and an additional 11,504 households have been selected for payment.
‘The beneficiaries are selected at the Parish level by the Parish Development Committee, and the list of beneficiaries is uploaded to the Parish Development Committee Management Information System,’ he told journalists in Kampala on June 1, 2026.
‘Districts have continued uploading beneficiary information to the PDMIS, which is being used for beneficiary selection, verification, and payment processing.’
Mr Kakooza further clarified that no funds are handled by Parish Chiefs or Parish Development Committees, and advised beneficiaries not to sign or thumbprint any document confirming receipt of funds before the money is credited to their bank or mobile money accounts.
‘Implementation has, however, been slowed by delays from four local governments – Lamwo, Nwoya, Pader and Agago – that have not yet uploaded beneficiary lists to the system,’ he added.
‘All district leaders and technical teams are urged to expedite the submission and upload of verified beneficiary data to avoid further delays.’