The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Lira, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Lack of information is affecting the compensation of Lango war claimants.
It was discovered that most people eligible for compensation were not aware while others were deliberately left out by the people involved in the process.
This was revealed during a sensitization meeting for District technical and political leaders as well as Resident District Commissioners from all the Nine Districts in Lango sub-region.
Following a directive by President Museveni to the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, the Ministry constituted an inter-ministerial verification committee to compile and access compensation claims presented in Acholi, Lango and Teso Sub-region.
Speaking at the dissemination meeting, Joseph Okullo, a claimant demanded to how the ministry will help the genuine claimants whose names were either deleted during the first verification exercise or those who missed out due to limited information.
In some districts, there are some beneficiaries whose names appear in two or more sub-counties whereas, in others, the entire list comprises of names of people from another district.
In Amolatar district, Namasale Sub County and Town council have names of people from Nambyeso Sub County in Kwania District. Deputy CAO wondered how the situation will be handled.
Philip W. Mwaka, the Principal State Attorney who doubles as the Co-Chair Verification committee explained that the validation exercise will be done by the District at the Sub-county level to ensure a comprehensive and transparent exercise based on bio-data.
According to Mwaka, the exercise will be done in liaison with local government officials in the affected communities to evaluate and compile the final database of established genuine beneficiaries for settlement.
Mwaka who acknowledged that some claimants were validated and paid through the lawyers says preventing them from benefiting again entirely depends on their transparency.
Salim Komakech, the RDC Kwania advised that a wavier should be effected to process a letter of administration by small claims by beneficiaries.
Makmot Kibwanga, one of the lawyers who has been in the center of Lango war claimants demanding compensation argued that the idea of directly compensating the claimants will jeopardize the proceedings of the law.
The claimants shall be required to submit documents supporting their claims at their respective sub-counties including National Identity Cards, letters of administration for beneficiaries of deceased claimants. They are advised to go to the sub-counties were they registered their claims from for verification.
In 2014, the former High Court Judge, Justice Simon Byabakama awarded the claimants 1.9 trillion as compensation of their lost animals. The money was meant to compensate 70,000 war claimants whose livestock was lost during the insurgency in 1986.
However, the Attorney General disputed the 1.9 Trillion Shillings compensation on grounds that it has never been verified.
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