Residents of Magoro Sub-county in Katakwi District are pressing the government to move faster on compensation for families who have lost relatives in repeated attacks blamed on armed Karimojong cattle raiders, according to NTV Uganda.
The residents also want part of Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve de-gazetted. They say the protected area has become a hiding place for raiders who carry out attacks on communities living along the border between Teso and Karamoja.
The demands were reported by NTV Uganda on Sunday, 1 November 2026.
Why it matters
The call puts a long-running security and welfare problem back in front of the government. According to NTV Uganda, residents say the raids and deadly armed attacks have gone on for decades, leaving behind grief, deeper poverty and ruined livelihoods.
The residents' complaint is not only about security. It is also about what happens after the violence. They say bereaved families and survivors have received little support from the state, and they are asking for justice for victims alongside measures that would keep communities safe over the long term.
The request to shrink Pian Upe adds a land and conservation dimension to the dispute. The reserve is a protected area, and any move to de-gazette part of it would be a significant decision. The residents' case, as reported, rests on the claim that the reserve is being used by armed groups as cover.
A decades-long toll on border communities
NTV Uganda reports that the residents describe a pattern stretching back many years: cattle raids followed by deadly armed attacks, with families left to bury their dead and rebuild with little help.
The effects they list are economic as well as personal. Loss of livestock and repeated disruption have pushed households further into poverty, and livelihoods built around farming and herding have been devastated, according to the residents' account.
Their requests to the government fall into three areas. First, compensation for families who have lost loved ones. Second, the de-gazetting of part of Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, which they accuse of sheltering raiders. Third, urgent intervention to deliver justice for victims and lasting security for communities along the Teso–Karamoja border.
NTV Uganda did not report specific figures on the number of people killed, the number of claims filed or the value of compensation sought. It also did not say whether the government has responded to the residents' demands.
What to watch
Whether the government responds to the compensation and de-gazetting requests, and what security measures it proposes for the border communities, is the next thing to watch.
