Kony War Victims In West Nile Threaten To Sink NRM In 2026 Over Unpaid Compensation

ARUA. The victims of Joseph Kony’s Lord Resistance Army (LRA) war in the West Nile sub-region have vowed not to vote for any ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate in the coming general elections if the government continues to pay deaf ears to their call for compensation.

While carrying placards encrypted ‘No compensation, No votes,’ and pictures taken in different hospitals nursing bullet wounds shortly after their ambush, the war victims said during a meeting in Arua city on Saturday, February 8, 2025, that they have agreed not to vote for any NRM candidate right from the local council one (LC1) chairperson to the President during the 2026 general elections.

At least a total of 1, 102 Kony war victims in West Nile are very confident that they will be joined by their family members, relatives, friends and in-laws in the protest to vote against NRM candidates in 2026.

This is because the war victims have for long been demanding for shs99, 884, 000, 000 in compensation for the merchandise, money and lives lost during the 20-year Kony insurgency along Karuma – Pakwach highway in between 1988 to 2006.

The victims say they have submitted papers over papers to the government and moved to various offices trying to demand for their compensation, but all in vain.

Now, they are threatening to use their numbers to de-campaign President Museveni and his NRM party contestants in the coming general elections if they are not compensated.

Alex Matua, the chairperson of the victims, said President Museveni authorized their payment but to date, they have not yet received any coin from the government.

“For me, this has taken too long, it appears the NRM candidate who will come to West Nile as a Presidential candidate will not get votes. That is what we are now emphasizing because of this issue of our failed compensation,” Matua said.

“Since Dr. Kenneth Omona (the then President Museveni’s Personal Secretary) wrote on June 10, 2022 to the Attorney General to compensate us, nothing has been done. Hajj. Yunus Kakande, the Secretary in the office of the President also wrote a letter to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence to consider the issue of Kony war victims in West Nile but up to now, nothing has been done,” Matua stated.

He added that on May 2, 2023, Hon. Anet Anita Among, the Speaker of Parliament, also wrote to the Attorney General to pay the Kony war victims in West Nile and later inform her accordingly as soon as possible.

“Now it is more than one year since the Speaker wrote the letter but nothing has been done yet our money (about Shs30bn) was approved in the budget of 2022/2023 financial year for at least four regions; Teso, Lango, Acholi and West Nile sub-regions. Other regions got their money but where is ours?” Matua asked.

“This money was allocated but now we are thinking somebody has swindled it because of corruption. So, we are now asking His Excellency President Museveni to consider paying us before 2026 comes, we are not happy. And my members have told me that they are not voting NRM candidates in 2026 if their money is not paid,” Matua emphasized.

Alahayi Rashid Chiriga, a victim from Yumbe district who was shot in the arms and still carrying a bullet in his right arm, said he was shot on October 3, 1997 while on the way from Kampala to Arua in Contour Bus.

“In that bus 36 people were burnt, we jumped through the window and we were rescued. These are my arms which were shot. There is a head of a bullet stuck in my right arm, the X-Rays are here. I was shot when my kids were very young, up to now due to this condition of mine, they are not in school. Actually, we are requesting the government to help us,” Chiriga said.

“If some of the people in Teso, Lango and Acholi were paid for their cows, what about us? All the people of West Nile are aware that Kony killed West Nilers between Karuma and Pakwach bridges. Our documents are all clear, why is the government dodging us like this? Sincerely, somebody like me who has suffered for all this long, I was shot when I was in my 40s now at 64 years, I’m almost going to die. Let the government help us,” Chiriga pleaded.

He, however, noted that failure to heed to their cry will mean that the government doesn’t care about them and for that reason, they will all be joined by their families to vote for the opposition in this coming elections.

Similarly, Beatrice Avutiru, whose baby was shot dead in the head during an ambush on March 8, 1996 said to date, she is still living a traumatized life.

With a visible bullet scar on the right arm, Avutiru said she lost all what she had during the ambush and as a result, all her children didn’t go far with education.

She appealed to the government of Uganda to consider coming to their aid by compensating them so as to start a new life.

Samuel Ondoma of Alaka and Co. Advocates, the Lawyer representing the Kony war victims in West Nile, said his clients are now tired.

“These victims have been following their compensation from the government and it is over 20 years now that they have not been paid to date. We received some correspondence from the UPDF headquarters especially, from the Directorate of Special Investigations that gave us things which we were supposed to get from the victims and furnish to the UPDF headquarters in Mbuya,” Ondoma said.

He observed that the UPDF wanted all the affected victims to make statements on what exactly happened when they were affected by the war.

“All the information needed, we managed to furnish them, and they also needed recommendations from religious leaders which we did. So, all the required information which the UPDF headquarters in Mbuya required to compensate the affected victims from the greater Arua was furnished to that office. We submitted all the information of the 1,102 victims on February 2, 2024,” Ondoma remarked.

He said the evidence required from the victims was accompanied with a letter which they wrote to the Permanent Secretary and was received.

“We have been following this letter but unfortunately, I’m sorry to say that up to date, we have not got any tangible response from the PS of the Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs.”

“We were informed that this letter was being rooted from the Director Special Investigations in the UPDF office and it went to the Commissioner Legal Services who confirmed to us that he received our evidence and the letter, and that he was working on it. Unfortunately, up to date, we have not received any direct response of how far they have reached with the issue of compensating the Kony war victims in West Nile,” Ondoma explained.