By The Eye Media | Soroti, 28 May 2025
A fiery political storm is brewing in Teso following a controversial donation of seven calves by the National Unity Platform (NUP) leadership to a select group of Teso war claimants. The gesture, intended as a symbol of hope, has instead sparked outrage from none other than Patrick Oboi Amuriat (POA)—President of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).
The top brass of NUP, led by Principal Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine, alongside party luminaries Joel Ssenyonyi, John Baptist Nambeshe, and others, visited Soroti City on Tuesday, 27 May 2025. The team met with a section of Teso elders and signed a Memorandum of Understanding promising support for war claimants and political cooperation in the struggle to unseat the regime.
“As a gesture of our commitment to their plight, we handed over seven calves to selected elders. The calves are a symbol of hope and a new beginning,” Bobi Wine posted on his X (Twitter) handle.
But to POA—who hails from Teso and has been at the forefront of the cattle compensation fight—the gesture is nothing short of an insult.
In a sharp social media tirade, Amuriat lashed out at the NUP leadership, branding the calf donation as “a mockery” to a community that lost over 1.5 million cows during past conflicts.
“You can’t bring 7 calves to people who demand 1.5M cows. Those kinds of tricks won’t work with us,” he fumed.
Amuriat accused NUP of “cheap populist politics”, alleging that the Memorandum signed with Teso elders was nothing more than a staged public relations stunt.
“False agreements, mind games on our desperate elders, and a leader who does not understand the magnitude of the compensation situation—that is the gist of the deception,” Amuriat charged.
The FDC President didn’t stop there. In a scathing analogy, he likened NUP’s donation to baiting a trap.
“When you use a bait to lure a fish into a trap, the interest is not to feed the fish, it is to catch and cook it. Iteso are too wise for that,” he said.
The comments come at a time when Amuriat himself is battling legal trouble over the very issue he defends. Alongside MPs Jonathan Ebwalu and Joan Alobo, POA recently led a ‘No Cow, No Vote’ protest in Soroti. The trio was arrested and jailed for five days. They are expected to reappear before the Soroti Chief Magistrate’s Court today in connection to the demonstration.
The clash now adds yet another chapter to the widening political rift between opposition forces—raising questions over who truly speaks for the people of Teso and what form justice and restitution should take.
