Nairobi News

Uganda President Yoweri Museveni is demanding for traditional compensation for Ugandans killed by Turkana people from Kenya. In his Executive Order no.3 of 2023, the President also addressed what he termed as “the problem of the Turkana nomads” in Uganda.

President Museveni addressed the issue of some nomads from Kenya, Tanzania, Congo and Rwanda who enter Uganda illegally while armed and attack unarmed Ugandan citizens residing in Northern and North Eastern Uganda, sometimes forcefully taking over communal Ugandan land, raping and killing Ugandans.

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“Finally, the issue of Turkanas. This is another destabilizing factor. On account of our Pan-Africanist ideology, we have allowed our Turkana brothers and sisters to settle in Karamoja around the Kobebe dam where the problem of water has been solved. However, in Kenya, they have not carried out disarmament. That is their issue. However, long ago, I ordered these Turkanas to never bring guns in Uganda. They should just come and graze their cattle minus being armed,” President Museveni said.

He said his warning went unheeded and blamed the Turkanas for killing and raping Ugandans among other heinous activities. He also said the Turkanas raided 2,245 cattle from the Jie, killed three Ugandan geologists, one officer and a soldier who were guarding them.

“I now direct that this Turkana nonsense must stop. Hence, the following steps must be taken. The Turkanas must never come to Uganda with guns. Anybody who does so must be arrested and charged with terrorism by a Court Martial,” said President Museveni.

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He also demanded that the Turkanas who killed the geologists and their security be handed back to Uganda for murder trials. Alternatively, he said that the killers, with the coordination of the Kenyan and Ugandan governments, should kukaraba –blood settlement- to the families of the deceased.

“The price of the Kukuraba cannot be the traditional one of a few cows. It must be adjusted to the full value of what the deceased would have contributed in his/her life, which life was cut short by those criminals,” President Museveni said.

He also demanded that all the raided cattle be returned to the Ugandan victim communities and gave the Turkana six months to implement his directives, failure to which he would expel all Kenyan Turkanas and their cattle from Uganda for good.

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