The Government has commenced direct payments to beneficiaries under its ambitious eighty billion shillings cattle restocking programme. The program is aimed at rebuilding livestock assets and household incomes across the Acholi, Lango and Teso sub-regions, areas that suffered decades of conflict, cattle rustling and economic disruption.
According to an implementation update issued by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) on Monday, 559 households have so far received 2.8 billion shillings through a digital payment system, marking the beginning of what officials describe as a major rural wealth restoration initiative targeting 16,000 households before the close of the 2025/26 financial year.
The exercise follows a directive by President Yoweri Museveni in November 2025 and subsequent Cabinet approval of operational guidelines designed to support vulnerable households in restoring livestock ownership, a traditional pillar of economic security in northern and eastern Uganda.
Under the initiative, each beneficiary household receives five million shillings to purchase five heads of cattle, three heifers and two bulls. The restocking programme represents one of the government’s most significant livestock recovery interventions since post-conflict reconstruction efforts began in northern Uganda.
Livestock remains a critical source of wealth, food security, draft power and social status in many rural communities. However, decades of insurgency involving the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), combined with widespread cattle raids that devastated herds in Teso and neighbouring regions during the 1980s and 1990s, left many households impoverished.
According to OPM records, livestock losses in northern and eastern Uganda significantly undermined household resilience, reducing agricultural productivity and limiting opportunities for wealth accumulation.
Dr Gilbert Olanya, Kilak South Representative, the current intervention is therefore being viewed not merely as ‘an agricultural programme but as part of a broader rural economic transformation strategy aligned with Uganda’s National Development Plan IV (NDP IV)”, which prioritizes increased household incomes and improved livelihoods through commercial agriculture and wealth creation initiatives.
“The programme seeks to restore productive assets at household level while supporting broader government efforts to eradicate subsistence farming and stimulate rural economic growth,” the Robinah Nabbanja, Prime Minister said.
A notable feature of the programme is its reliance on digital beneficiary management and direct electronic payments. Beneficiaries are identified at parish level through Parish Development Committees before their details are uploaded onto the Parish Development Management Information System (PDMIS), where verification and payment processing take place.
Government officials say the system was deliberately designed to address long-standing concerns about leakages, ghost beneficiaries and political interference that have affected some public programmes in the past. Payments are being made through the PearlBank-Wendi mobile wallet platform directly to verified beneficiaries. The OPM emphasized that parish chiefs and Parish Development Committees do not handle any programme funds.
“The Government wishes to clarify that no funds are handled by parish chiefs or Parish Development Committees. Beneficiaries should not sign or thumbprint documents confirming receipt before funds are credited to their accounts or mobile money numbers,” an OPM statement released on Monday said.
A section of MPs from the greater Northern region warn that these delays could jeopardize efforts to complete disbursements before the end of the current financial year on June 30, 2026. The government has consequently appealed to both political and technical leaders in the affected districts to expedite verification and data submission processes.
“We urge all local governments to strengthen beneficiary verification and monitoring systems while ensuring transparency throughout implementation,” the OPM stated. Uganda has implemented several livestock restocking initiatives over the past two decades, particularly in northern and eastern regions recovering from conflict and cattle rustling. While some programmes successfully rebuilt household assets, others faced criticism over poor beneficiary targeting, animal disease outbreaks, inadequate veterinary support and weak follow-up mechanisms
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