The government has commenced disbursement of funds under the Restocking Programme targeting households in the sub-regions of Lango, Teso and Acholi, in a move aimed at rebuilding livelihoods and restoring household wealth lost during years of conflict and insecurity.
The programme covers 33 districts and is expected to benefit 16,000 households in its first phase at a cost of Shs80 billion.
Each selected household will receive Shs5 million to support income-generating activities and the acquisition of productive assets, particularly livestock.
The initiative comes against the backdrop of decades of conflict that devastated northern and eastern Uganda, leaving millions displaced and stripping many families of their livelihoods.
In Acholi, communities endured a two-decade insurgency led by the Lord’s Resistance Army between the late 1980s and around 2006.
The conflict caused widespread displacement, destruction of property, loss of livestock and a near-total disruption of economic activity, with more than a million people at its peak living in internally displaced persons’ camps.
The Lango sub-region was similarly affected by insecurity linked to the insurgency, with communities suffering attacks, displacement and loss of household assets. Although relative peace returned after the mid-2000s, many households have struggled to recover economically.
In Teso, residents faced repeated cattle raids by the Karamojong during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of cattle that formed the backbone of household wealth and the local economy. Government disarmament efforts later reduced the raids, but the economic impact continues to be felt.
Officials say the restocking programme is designed to address these historical losses by helping vulnerable households rebuild productive assets and improve incomes.
Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister Alex Kakooza said during a press briefing that beneficiaries are being identified at parish level through Parish Development Committees. The selected names are then uploaded onto the Parish Development Model (PDM) implementation portal by local governments for verification and payment processing.
So far, 11,504 beneficiaries, representing 71.9 per cent of the targeted households, have been uploaded onto the system. Payments have already commenced, with 559 households receiving a total of Shs2.8 billion.
Authorities expect the verification and payment exercise to be completed within the month.
However, Kakooza noted delays in some districts, including Lamwo, Nwoya and Agago, where local government processes have slowed the uploading of beneficiary information.
Priority in the first phase has been given to vulnerable groups, including the elderly, persons with disabilities and women-headed households.
Kakooza also revealed cases of attempted abuse of the programme during registration, with some individuals in positions of authority allegedly registering themselves and family members.
“A sub-county chief registered himself and his wife as a widow and his son as an orphan. This affects the process,” he said.
He emphasized that the involvement of local leaders and verification committees is intended to safeguard the integrity of the programme and ensure that assistance reaches intended beneficiaries.
The restocking initiative follows a decision taken in November and is being implemented under guidelines issued by President Yoweri Museveni.
While the current phase targets 16,000 households, officials acknowledge that the need remains far greater. The long-term target is approximately 1.7 million households across the affected regions, with the entire programme projected to cost over Shs1 trillion.
For many families in Acholi, Lango and Teso, the programme represents another attempt by government to address the lingering economic consequences of conflicts that officially ended nearly two decades ago but whose effects continue to shape livelihoods today.
