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By Steven Ariong
MOROTO: The establishment of hundreds of road blocks by the Anti stock theft Unit personnel along the routes and shortcuts that connects Karamoja to the neighboring regions such as Teso, Sebei,Bugisu, Lango and Acholi have drastically stopped the commercial animal thefts in the region.
A mini survey by this website has established that although the region is still experiencing some isolated incidents of cattle theft, but most of these stolen animals rarely cross out of Karamoja like in the past before the Anti stock theft unit personnel were deployed in the region.
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This publication has noted that most of these stolen animals are recovered from within the Karamoja districts unlike in the past when the raiders raid the animals, coordinate with other cattle traders from various regions who rush quickly and load the cattle, driving them out of Karamoja where they sell them in different markets outside the region.
However thanks to Commissioner Erais Kasirabo the commandant of Anti stock Theft unit personnel who came and established hundreds of roadblocks checking all the movements of livestock outside Karamoja.
These roadblocks which are guarded by ASTU day and night along the major highways and shortcuts are mandated to check on any vehicle carrying livestock. Any truck loaded livestock without genuine documents is arrested and even those with genuine documents are not allowed to move with livestock past 7pm.
This has made it hard for the raiders to transport stolen animals outside Karamoja region. Speaking to this website Afande Kasirabo says their joint security efforts is geared to end lawlessness and cattle theft in the region.
“We are not here for ceremonies, we are here to ensure that the people of Karamoja live in a peaceful environment where there is no thefts of livestock,”he told this publication.
Kasirabo a man who’s hard for someone to believe whether he’s a military man until he’s in his military fatigue told this website that they have embarked on rallying the Karimojong pastoralists to accept peace and shun cattle rustling.
Karamoja region is currently registering a relative peace following the on-going joint operations by Police and Army.
Deputy division commander Brig. Felix Busizoori urged the people of Karamoja to send their children to school saying it’s only through education that Karamoja can attain everlasting peace.
“Am humbly appealing to my brother’s in Karamoja that there’s no benefit to continue carrying out criminal activities because these activities slaw the development of the region, but what should be done is sending children to school,”Busizoori appealed.
Brig Busizoori further says government has invested a lot in the Education sector in Karamoja but people of Karamoja are not utilizing the opportunity.
“If you look at the quality of structures that government and development partners have put in place in Karamoja no any other region in Uganda has such structures but our people are not utilizing them,”he says.
Moses Lokoru a resident of Nadunget sub county in Moroto hailed the establishment of road blocks in Karamoja saying it has frustrated the cattle thieves.
“When president museveni last year ordered all the roadblocks to be removed from the highways, to me I said now Karamoja cows will get finished but we thank the president for allowing roadblocks back in Karamoja roads,”Lokoru appreciated.
Francis Chemusto the regional Police commander of Mt Moroto region says they are prioritizing community policing where they are engaging communities in Karamoja to hand over their guns and stay in peace.
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