Security forces in Obongi District have impounded 35 heads of cattle and arrested eight Balaalo herders for allegedly violating Executive Order No. 2 of 2025 issued by President Museveni.
The livestock, reportedly hidden in a bush in Lomunga Village, Gimara Sub-county, were seized during a joint operation conducted by the Obongi District Security Committee, the Uganda Police Force, and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF).
The team was led by Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Samuel Mpimbaza Hashaka and Assistant RDC Umuhoza Habiba Furaha.
“We found the cattle hidden deep in the bush—clearly a calculated move to dodge the law. This is outright defiance of President Museveni’s Executive Order No. 2,” RDC Hashaka told the press.
The enforcement action falls under Operation Harmony, a nationwide campaign launched to implement the presidential directive on the eviction of unregulated cattle keepers, commonly referred to as the Balaalo.
RDC Hashaka also expressed concern over alleged collusion between some politicians, landlords, and Balaalo herders to undermine the exercise.
He cited incidents where illegal land agreements were made to allow herders to remain on ancestral or communal land, despite the clear directive.
“Some leaders are not only shielding the Balaalo but enabling them through dubious agreements. This undermines the spirit of the Executive Order meant to protect our people’s land and livelihoods,” he said.
Signed on June 1, 2025, Executive Order No. 2 prohibits free-range grazing of cattle in Uganda’s northern, north-western, and eastern regions, particularly where communal landholding systems exist.
The presidential directive aims to address crop destruction by roaming livestock, blocked access to water points and fishing areas, unfenced and poorly developed grazing areas
and rising land tenure disputes and food insecurity
President Museveni described the presence of free-ranging cattle in these regions as “criminal and unfair to local farmers.”
Operation Harmony was formally launched on June 25, 2025, following a period of community sensitization.
Over 3,000 cattle have reportedly been moved voluntarily out of the Acholi and West Nile sub-regions. The operation involves exit permits issued by district veterinary officers and military escorts along designated exit routes such as Karuma Bridge.
However, as the situation in Lomunga demonstrates, resistance and non-compliance persist in some areas.
Under government policy, once all cattle are removed, a multi-stakeholder committee will carry out land ownership audits to assess which herders, if any, qualify to return—on condition that they have legally acquired, fenced land with permanent water sources.