By Our Reporter
President Yoweri Museveni has broken his silence on the growing tensions surrounding the presence of Balaalo cattle keepers in Northern, North Western, and Eastern Uganda, warning against unlawful practices and clarifying the intent behind his executive directives on the matter.
In a strongly worded statement released via social media on Sunday, the President expressed concern over what he described as “lies and distortions” circulating online regarding his position on the Balaalo issue. Museveni emphasized that his directives are not aimed at tribal discrimination but are a response to illegal and disorderly conduct by some livestock owners.
“The mistakes by the Balaalo are many,” Museveni stated, citing the destruction of crops by free-roaming cattle (kwonesa), lack of proper fencing, illegal settlement on government ranches, and blocking public access routes as core grievances raised by local communities.
The President said that the core problem is not the ethnic identity of the Balaalo, many of whom hail from western Uganda, but their failure to follow proper agricultural and legal protocols when relocating to other regions.
“Whether you legally bought or rented the land, you have no right to kwoneseza people—your livestock grazing on people’s crops,” he warned. “Nor do you have the right to block people’s access routes.”
He acknowledged that some of the land acquisitions in the north may have been fraudulent, especially where communal land was sold or rented by unauthorized individuals. However, he emphasized that the immediate issue is not land legality, but the disruptive behavior of some Balaalo.
“Even when land is legally acquired, no one should introduce cattle without fencing or adequate water sources. That results in animals straying, damaging people’s crops, and creating conflict.”
President Museveni also condemned reports of Balaalo arriving with armed relatives, some allegedly linked to the army, to intimidate locals and evade local justice practices.
“These arrogant Balaalo think they are untouchable. That is why they need the Executive Order of the President of Uganda,” he said.
The President contrasted the Balaalo herders with non-native crop farmers, such as a Munyoro woman named Adyeeri, who is successfully growing fruits in Nwoya District without causing conflict. “She is very much loved by the locals,” Museveni noted, pointing to her as a model of peaceful integration and legal land use.
Questions Over Cattle Movement Permits
Museveni also raised questions about the issuance of cattle movement permits (ebaruha y’okufuruka), asking whether due diligence was done before allowing herds into already stressed areas.
“If the permits were legally given, why was the scarcity of water, the lack of fencing, the kwonesa, etc., not checked?”
He further criticized the illegal occupation of government ranches by Balaalo, warning that such actions undermine planned development projects such as cattle breeding and provoke resentment among locals.
In closing, Museveni stressed that his executive orders do not condone tribal chauvinism but seek to restore order, protect property rights, and ensure peaceful co-existence.
“The resentment by the locals and my executive orders are not about the legal and rational actors. They are both directed at the illegal and irrational,” he concluded.
The statement is expected to intensify the ongoing national debate over land use, internal migration, and pastoralist practices, especially in northern Uganda where tensions have been simmering for months.
The Balaalo crisis has dominated local headlines in recent months, with northern leaders accusing the pastoralist communities of land grabbing, crop destruction, and cultural insensitivity. Museveni’s executive orders have sparked both praise and criticism, with some defending internal freedom of movement, while others demand tighter regulation of livestock movement and land acquisition.