A newly rehabilitated cattle dip in Mucwini East Sub-county, Kitgum District, is lying idle as a land dispute between local authorities and a family threatens to derail its use. The cattle dip in Kempolo Village, Pubech Parish, was rehabilitated by the Jimmy Akena Foundation after remaining non-functional for more than four decades.
It was handed over to Kitgum District and Mucwini East Sub-county authorities in March 2026. The rehabilitation had raised hopes among livestock farmers who have long struggled to control ticks and other livestock diseases through individual spraying. However, the facility was only operational for about one week before the dispute over the land escalated, forcing authorities to suspend its use.
Herbert Richard Odongo, the LCIII chairperson of Mucwini East Sub-county, said the family claiming ownership of the land began interfering with the facility shortly after its rehabilitation. He said the family ploughed most of the land surrounding the cattle dip, leaving only a small portion of the facility accessible.
“During the one week when the dip was working, we were in talks with the family members. We proposed that they be included on the board of management of the dip and that their animals be dipped at the facility free of charge,” Odongo said. He said the situation changed when the authorities returned for another meeting. “It seems someone misadvised them after our first discussion because when we went for the second meeting, we found that they had already ploughed all the land surrounding the dip,” he said.
According to Odongo, the land allocated for the cattle dip measures about 50 by 50 metres, but the family allegedly cultivated almost the entire area, leaving only about five metres around the facility. “They left only 5 by 5 metres, including the area where we had proposed to open an access road and where they used not to farm,” he said.
Odongo said the family also claimed that their grandfather had originally provided the land for construction of the cattle dip but had never been compensated. The dispute has also resulted in the wastage of veterinary medicines that had been poured into the cattle dip, according to Odongo. Ben Rupiny, a member of the family claiming ownership of the land, said his late father had allowed the government to use a portion of his 100-acre piece of land for the cattle dip, but that the family resumed cultivating it after the facility was abandoned.
“That is our farmland, and we have no other land. When these people wanted to rehabilitate the land, instead of coming to the family to seek their consent, they went to the leaders,” Rupiny said. He said he only learnt that the cattle dip was being rehabilitated when his children went to open the family farm for the first planting season and found the facility already renovated.
Rupiny said the family had resolved that the land should no longer be used for a cattle dip because it is the only land available to them. “You know land that cattle move on never remains fertile. And these will be cattle in thousands,” he said. The family’s position has effectively stalled the operation of the facility, despite the investment made in its rehabilitation.
Sam Odong, the Assistant Chief Administrative Officer of Kitgum District, said the authorities held a meeting at the sub-county level to resolve the dispute, but no agreement was reached. He said the district had consequently decided to put the project on hold to avoid escalating the conflict.
“Because we don’t want to go into a situation where you put a project, and the community will disown or vandalise it. For now, what we are trying to do is to bring on board more key stakeholders so that they go and talk, especially people who come from that side,” Odong said. He said the district believes that involving leaders originating from Mucwini could help resolve the dispute because they understand the community and have relationships with the affected family.
The cattle dip was originally constructed in the early 1970s during the government of former President Apollo Milton Obote and reportedly became non-functional in 1987. Its rehabilitation included structural repairs, roofing, access pathways, and other improvements intended to restore the facility to full operation.
At its commissioning, local leaders described the cattle dip as an important intervention for livestock farmers in Mucwini, where tick infestations have remained a persistent challenge costing them between Shs30,000 and Shs40,000 each month on acaricides and manual spraying. The continued closure means farmers must rely on individual spraying, which can be costly and may be less effective when acaricides are improperly mixed or applied-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
