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During a meeting held on 23rd June 2023 with the Karachuna, a group of reformed Karimojong warriors at State House in Entebbe, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni called on them to cease the practice of cattle rustling in the Karimojong clans and surrounding areas. He emphasized the need for stability and the discontinuation of cattle theft to enable better planning by the government for the sub-region.

In order to enable the government better plan for the sub-region, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on 23^rd June 2023 requested the Karachuna (reformed Karimojong warriors) to discontinue the practise of cattle rustling among the Karimojong clans and in the surrounding territories.

“When it comes to you Karamoja residents, we must put an end to instability so that we can begin preparing. When there is disorder, it is impossible to build riches. Stop stealing cattle; I’ll deal with the Turkana after that. They must cease plundering or I will entirely expel them from Uganda,” said President Museveni.

“We will have to address the problem of water for our animals when we have put an end to the commotion. Thirdly, cease burning grass. The money we are currently spending on fuel, security operations can be used to generate more water by setting up communal and individual dams,” he added.

President Museveni recalled how he persuaded the Banyankore in the cattle corridor to abandon nomadism in favour of industrial dairy farming, which has subsequently improved their standard of living.

“The Banyankore were still nomads in the 1960s. Why are you a nomad? The water and grass would both dry out during the dry season. Thirdly, they have the opinion that cows start developing illnesses if you stay in one spot for a long time,” he said.

“During our meeting on 23^rd June 2023, we gave them the following advice: stay put, concentrate on gathering enough water in large containers, stop harming the grass that the cows eat, and eliminate the ticks from that location. At the conclusion of the conference, they realised that perhaps this youngster was speaking logically. In this way, the Banyankore ended their nomadism after realising they were wasting their resources and lives.

The President continued by saying that although the Banyankore had stopped being nomads when they came to power in 1986, they had yet to begin earning enough money from farming.

The problem at hand was “ekibaalo,” or the art of calculating wealth. I advised them to get milk instead of ekibaalo since you can make money every day with milk, and as a result, they started getting these Friesian cows after listening to me.

The Karachuna were also given instructions by the President to start commercial farming, particularly for milk. He claimed that doing this will enable them to produce daily revenue, enhancing their standard of living.

“The Cattle Corridor embraced dairy farming, which has transformed the area, so it is not hard for Karamoja to transform as well,” he said.

In order to combat poverty, H.E. Museveni also inspired them to support government initiatives like Emyooga and the Parish Development Model (PDM).

Prior to the meeting, the President gave the Karachuna a tour of several model farms in an effort to teach them new, cutting-edge farming techniques that they could apply to their own agricultural endeavours.

Among the model farms the group saw, Mr. Richard Nyakana’s at Rwengaju-Kabarole stood out because it provided a precedent for how a farm may generate significant revenue from a tiny parcel of land.

The group, on the other hand, praised the President for his counsel and direction on matters related to security and wealth creation. Many of them shared testimonials of how they had been sleeping, but they also made promises to use the information they had learned to bring about fundamental change where they currently reside.