For Acholi, cattle were not just animals. They were school fees, dowry, food security, and dignity. Their disappearance meant the collapse of an entire way of life.
The Elephant Media Podcast
Welcome to the Elephant Media Podcast. Our writer Chowoo Willy, brings you an extraordinary story from Northern Uganda. It’s about cows — but really, it’s about justice, memory, and the unfinished scars of war.
For decades, the Acholi people have been demanding compensation for cattle lost during years of conflict. Governments promised. out of Courts settlement. Meetings were held. Money was released. And yet, here we are — still asking: Where is the justice?
In this episode, we take you inside a meeting called by President Yoweri Museveni himself in Gulu City. Leaders, elders, ministers, and claimants all gathered to face the President — and to speak their truth about the long, painful saga of cattle compensation.
The story of cattle loss in Acholi is not new. It stretches back over forty years. During the 1979 Amin Liberation War, raiders began wiping out herds. By 1988, nearly all livestock in the region had disappeared.
Thank you listening and you can read the story here
