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LomarotoitIriiri Sub-CountyLomaratoit Resettlement Camp is right onthe edge of Napak District. The people thatlive here are called Kampalans because theywere brought back to Karamoja from Kampala.The road to Lomaratoit is very bad. When itrains, you can’t even take a bicycle along thisroad. If it rains while you are travelling, youhave to hide your bicycle in the long grass andcome back for it once it is dry again.We heard many stories from the people inLomaratoit about their past life in Kampala andabout how they are living now they are backin Karamoja. Here are a couple of their stories.“My father was very rich. But his cowswere all rounded up and taken. So heresorted to cultivating. But cultivating becamedifficult due to the killings, which meant wecould only cultivate places close to our home.So I decided to go to Kampala with my wife andtwo children. But in Kampala life was also difficult.We had to pay rent of 500 shillings peradult and 300 shillings per child every night. Mywife and I would go in different directions tolook for work each morning.I had the idea of trapping rats. I made my owntraps and I found I could sell the traps, sincerats were disturbing people in Kampala. Inthe morning my wife would take the childrenunder the hot sun down the streets and placethem at intervals to beg. She collected chickenheads and feet, or she went to the slaughterhouseand collected the reject pieces like thetestes and hooves to bring home. So we foundthat the life was very, very difficult there and wedecided to come back.there was nothing at all. We were dropped hereand it was bush with tents. There was nothing.We wondered how we would eat when wewoke up the next day.Some NGOs like GIZ helped us. There are othersthat came and made promises to us but theystill haven’t returned. We are right on the borderof Napak District and we don’t have schoolsand water and medical services here.But it’s much more comfortable than Kampalaand I don’t want to hear about Kampala anymore. I have my house. No one demands forpayment. Now we just want other services likea school, water, medical services etc.”24When the British Queen was coming we tookthat opportunity to return to Karamoja. Wewere taken to a place called Lopei in Napak. Westayed in the camp in Napak while the governmentwas trying to locate a big space for us.Then the government found this place. Theyshifted all of us, gave us plots. We began cultivating.It was difficult. When we first arrived