Balalo disappears with 15 community cattle in Pader

7 October 2026, 7:41 pm

By Bonny Mike Okello

Communities in Ojuru Village, Lalogi Parish, Lapul Sub-county in Pader District are searching for 15 cattle allegedly taken by a herdsman identified as Bagembe Godfrey, who had been employed to look after the community’s animals.

The cattle reportedly disappeared from a community kraal on Friday evening, with residents discovering the loss the following morning.

Speaking to the Luo FM news desk, Peter Bosco Alii, a former LC3 Chairperson of Lapul Sub-county and one of the affected community members, said the missing cattle are part of 163 cattle belonging to 23 people that were being kept in one kraal.

Alii said Bagembe was responsible for looking after the animals and received milk as part of his payment. He said that whenever there was no milk, community members contributed money to pay him.

According to Alii, the community noticed that the kraal had been damaged on Saturday morning and, upon reaching the site, found another herdsman milking the cattle.

He said the herdsman told them that Bagembe had gone to look for 15 cows that had escaped from the kraal.

Alii said the community became concerned at around 2pm when neither Bagembe nor the missing cattle could be found.

He added that when they went to the place where Bagembe had been staying, they discovered that his wife and children had reportedly left the area the previous day.

Alii said efforts to trace Bagembe later indicated that he had contacted some of his associates, who allegedly helped load the cattle.

He further alleged that the cattle passed through a UPDF checkpoint, where the soldiers mistakenly allowed them to proceed because of the ongoing exercise to evict Balaalo from the area.

Meanwhile, Lalogi Parish Area Councillor and Lapul Sub-county Speaker Walter Ojok said he received the report on Sunday and travelled to the area to follow up on the matter.

Ojok said the community later received information that a Balaalo had been seen in the Wipolo area moving with cattle and soldiers.

According to Ojok, local leaders contacted UPDF officers and were informed that soldiers had received a phone call about a Balaalo man moving with cattle.

He said that when the soldiers encountered the man, he reportedly fled, leaving the cattle behind.

Ojok said the UPDF kept the cattle in their custody, but the animals were later allegedly collected by another person who claimed ownership.

He said the person told the soldiers that the cattle belonged to him and, because the eviction exercise was ongoing, the soldiers asked whether he had a vehicle to transport the animals.

Ojok alleged that the man called a truck, loaded the cattle and left, with the soldiers reportedly unaware that the animals had been reported missing.

The UPDF 5th Division Public Relations Officer, Captain Ibrahim Kasule Sekitto, said he had not yet received a report about the incident.

He advised the affected community members to formally report the matter to the police so that investigations can establish the whereabouts of the person and the missing cattle.

The UPDF spokesperson also explained that soldiers at checkpoints do not routinely inspect all cattle being moved out of the area, although they occasionally carry out verification.

Pader District Police Commander, SP Jackson Bugere, also said he had not received the report and urged the affected community members to report the matter to the police.

Bugere, however, questioned the community’s decision to continue employing Balaalo despite government directives regarding their movement from the area.

He said communities should not employ people without first verifying their identification and other documents, arguing that proper documentation would make it easier for security agencies to trace individuals in case of incidents such as this.

The DPC further advised community members to coordinate with security authorities and verify the authenticity of documents before employing herdsmen.

Police investigations are expected to establish the whereabouts of Bagembe Godfrey and the 15 missing cattle.