FARUK KIRUNDA: Keep politics out of Karamoja security operations 

First, I wish to send sympathy to the people of Karamoja who have been affected by the insecurity arising from the raids by marauding groups that have terrorised the sub-region in recent times. The sympathy extends to neighbouring areas like Teso, Acholi, Lango and Sebei that have experienced incursions by the raiders.

I thank the security forces for being on top of the situation, and commiserate with the forces on personnel lost while carrying out their duties to stabilise the sub-region. The people of Karamoja are peace-loving and development-oriented. It is only a few deviants involved in this, with others crossing over from Kenya among the Turkana. 

But, whatever the formation of the gangs and the pattern their activities take, they cannot defeat our security forces or disorganise the whole country. Their criminality needs to come to an end, immediately, for serenity to return so that people return to normal business.

While the overriding factor behind the raids is cultural in nature-the traditional nomadic lifestyle and competition for herd strength, the solution lies in getting the people to abandon backward practices and embrace modern farming practices from which they can reap more. 

And while that is in process, it is unfortunate that politicians are capitalising on the situation in Karamoja to build political capital. It’s most unfortunate that some leaders are speaking with mixed intentions-they are against rustling during the day but leading raids in the night. How can we have such (mis)leaders in our midst at a critical time? 

What Karamoja needs is sympathy and solutions to address the criminality, not using the situation to build personal careers or scooping freebies from donors.

It was most unfortunate, recently, when former presidential candidate, Kyagulanyi Robert Sentamu (Bobi Wine), went abroad and used Karamoja as a bargaining chip to advance his political and personal interests. Bobi Wine addressed a forum in Europe where he claimed that the people of Karamoja were being harassed and killed by the Government of President Yoweri Museveni for supporting him-Bobi Wine. This was a surprising claim that I did not expect from someone of my generation. Not only was it an absolute lie, it was also misplaced. 

Bobi Wine’s party, NUP, won only one youth council seat in one district out of nine districts. Out of 26 Parliamentary seats, the ruling NRM won 25, while one went to an Independent who is NRM-leaning. Bobi Wine himself got 5.3% of votes against President Museveni’s 90%. Going by this measure of support and popularity, Bobi Wine has no claim beyond what he scored in the elections. Karamoja is pro-Museveni and majority of the people are for stability and transformation. Unless the NUP leader is telling us that his supporters are responsible for the raiding and insecurity, which would imply that there is something he knows about causes of the heightened insecurity. Is it politically-engineered (to punish the Karimojong) for choosing as they did or an attempt to turn them against Government? 

Disarmament and security operations against roaming armed karacunas is an old and recurrent phenomenon in Karamoja that predates NUP. Operations against rustlers are fulltime, with peak and off-peak seasons. Attempts to use alternative peace means to disarm the rustlers and change their lifestyle have worked but not always, even when the sub-region is predominantly NRM. The community has failed to get rid of cultural tendencies despite Government’s modernization programme. 

If any of the acts of cattle raiding are permissible within Karamoja, they cannot be tolerated because they are not limited to Karamoja. Cattle raids and security breaches are extending to Teso, parts of Sebei, Acholi and Lango regions. In the mix are marauding groups from across the border in Kenya where the Turkana have been crossing over and wreaking havoc. 

So, while some local leaders and their Kampala-based and foreign backers may want to drag Karamoja backwards into the era of the 1970s and early 1980s when there was total lawlessness, social disorder, backwardness and bloodshed, they will face an uphill task. The people of Karamoja have already seen the light and Government will do all that’s possible to accord them a safe environment to utilise their lands and the great infrastructural developments that have been rolled out to ease modernization.

Those who were not there pre-1986 or those who had not interested themselves in the state of the Sub-Region will be glad to know that Karamoja has a new face. If it was not for Government efforts, the situation would be dire and the place a total no-go- area. Renewed efforts and operations to rid the area of cattle rustling and other forms of criminality should be supported without politicising anything. 

It is very selfish and a mockery to use the difficulties of the people of Karamoja for political convenience. People have lost life and property in the fighting. They can’t wait for normalcy to be restored. Divisive politics is the last thing they want to hear. 

The author is the Deputy Presidential Press Secretary

Email: faruk.kirunda@statehouse.go.ug

 0776980486/0702980486