{"id":1610,"date":"2025-10-30T13:26:02","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T13:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/?p=1610"},"modified":"2025-10-30T13:26:31","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T13:26:31","slug":"museveni-demands-apology-from-odonga-otto-over-remarks-on-balaalo-evictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/?p=1610","title":{"rendered":"Museveni Demands Apology from Odonga Otto Over Remarks on Balaalo Evictions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has demanded an apology from former Aruu County legislator Odonga Otto, accusing him of turning a supposed compliment into an insult over the recent expulsion of Balaalo<\/em> herders from northern Uganda\u2019s Acholi sub-region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While addressing journalists during his campaign tour in Karamoja, President Museveni said he was offended by Otto\u2019s public statement that praised him for \u201cexpelling his own tribesmen\u201d \u00a0a comment the President interpreted as questioning his integrity and moral character. \u201cThere is a boy called Odonga Otto in Acholi. He owes me a cow or I will take him to court because he insulted me. He thought he was praising me, but actually, it was an insult,\u201d Museveni said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The President explained that Otto\u2019s remarks implied he acted against his kinsmen out of political gain rather than principle, describing the insinuation as \u201cdemeaning and unacceptable. \u201cHe thanked me for chasing my tribesmen from Acholi, as if I should defend them even when they are wrong,\u201d Museveni added. \u201cI asked him whether he thinks I am such a low character that I cannot stand for what is right because my relatives are involved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Longstanding Land Dispute<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The controversy stems from the government\u2019s eviction of Balaalo cattle keepers, a pastoralist group often accused of destroying crops and encroaching on communal land in Acholi and other northern districts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Balaalo issue has long been a flashpoint in northern Uganda, pitting herders against farmers and local leaders who accuse them of illegal grazing and land grabbing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, Museveni issued Executive Order No. 3, directing all Balaalo without fenced grazing land in the Acholi, Lango, and West Nile regions to vacate within three weeks. The order aimed to curb environmental degradation, land conflicts, and food insecurity caused by uncontrolled cattle movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although enforcement was slow and met with legal resistance, the directive eventually led to widespread relocations and heightened political tension in affected communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Odonga Otto, one of the most vocal critics of the herders, spearheaded campaigns demanding their expulsion, arguing that their presence undermined local livelihoods and community stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ethnic Sensitivity and Political Symbolism<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Museveni\u2019s response to Otto underscores the ethnic sensitivities surrounding the Balaalo question. The President, himself a member of the Bahima community traditionally associated with cattle keeping appeared determined to distance his leadership from tribal favoritism. \u201cI do not care about those relatives. If they are wrong, I will go against them,\u201d Museveni stated firmly, emphasizing that his decisions were based on law and justice, not lineage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Political observers say the confrontation reflects Museveni\u2019s ongoing effort to reinforce his image as a leader of national unity, especially as he campaigns in northern Uganda, a region that has historically been skeptical of his rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Broader Reflection on Governance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The spat between Museveni and Otto has reignited discussions about land governance, ethnic coexistence, and leadership accountability. Analysts argue that the exchange exposes how Uganda\u2019s unresolved land issues continue to carry both social and political weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Odonga Otto has yet to publicly respond to the President\u2019s demand for an apology, the disagreement has once again placed the Balaalo question at the center of Uganda\u2019s national conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Museveni intensifies his campaign trail ahead of the 2026 general elections, political experts say managing such disputes will be crucial for maintaining stability and reinforcing his long-standing message of unity across Uganda\u2019s divided regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Author: Justinmind HARERIMANA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has demanded an apology from former Aruu County legislator Odonga Otto, accusing him of turning a supposed compliment into an insult over the recent expulsion of Balaalo herders from northern Uganda\u2019s Acholi sub-region. While addressing journalists during his campaign tour in Karamoja, President Museveni said he was offended by Otto\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1610"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1613,"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1610\/revisions\/1613"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}