We are Sebei. We are the youth.
We are the children of Kapchorwa, Kween, and Bukwo, We are the youth who have watched, without any government support, mudslides destroy villages in the upper slopes, floods drown the lower plains, ancestral lands seized and property destroyed by UWA, cattle stolen in Karamojong raids without compensation, and our people live in fear of shootings, insecurity, and neglect
What is happening to us
Our people are dying while the clocks tick. Mudslides sweep homes and livelihoods in the upper slopes; floods drown families and destroy property in the lower plains. Civilians have been shot near the park. Our cows – the lifeblood of our families are stolen in raids by Karamojong raiders, and the government provides no compensation.
Our ancestral lands have been taken – the lower plains we fled during the Karamojong and Bakot insecurity, where we lost grandfathers, mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters, have been grabbed. We no longer have access to the very lands that once fed our families. The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) continues to expand into our territory, destroying property, farmland, and access to essential resources.
We suffer loss after loss and wait for the government’s help that never comes. When other regions scream, they get help. When Sebei cries, we get silence.
We are few in Uganda, and that scarcity is used against us. We feel sidelined, invisible, and undervalued while our blood, sweat, and lives are the price we pay. We share kinship with Kalenjin communities in Kenya through language, culture, and history. But what we demand is simple: dignity, justice, and the right to live and work on our land.
The Damage is Real
Lives lost, No rescue:
When mudslides crash down from the upper slopes, property and entire homes are buried in seconds. Children, men and women are swept away while the communities scream, unable to reach them. Floods in the lower plains drown crops, animals, and sometimes families. Rescue teams arrive hours or days too late, leaving survivors to mourn alone, digging through mud and debris, holding shattered pieces of what was once their lives.
Shootings and fear:
Families living near Mount Elgon National Park cannot farm, collect firewood, or tend to their homes without fear. Young fathers, mothers, and even children have been shot by authorities enforcing park boundaries. Every day is a gamble – one misstep could cost life or limb. Fear has become the air we breathe.
Cattle stolen, futures stolen:
Raids by Karamojong warriors leave families without the cows and even parents that feed them, provide income, and secure their children’s future. Grandmothers weep over empty pens. Young men return home from school or work to find the herd gone. Government compensation is nonexistent, leaving families in hunger and debt. Every stolen cow is not just an animal lost – it is a future stolen.
Land seized, access denied:
Our lower plains , the lands our ancestors tilled, the fields that fed generations are now inaccessible. After fleeing the Karamojong and Bakot insecurity, we returned only to find these plains occupied by others. UWA’s expansions have further taken property, gardens, and farmland. Families cannot plant, harvest, or live safely. The land that once gave life now feels like a stranger’s, and with it, our dignity has been trampled.
No equal help:
When disasters hit other regions, aid comes swiftly, tents are provided, food and medicine arrive, and leaders visit. In Sebei, we wait. We watch other regions rebuild while we remain buried in mud, in silence, in neglect. The cries of our mothers and children echo unanswered.
No jobs, no hope:
Youth leave Sebei in droves to look for work, often ending in exploitative labor or dangerous journeys. Others sink into despair, feeling there is no future here. Dreams die slowly, quietly, as young people realize that no one is investing in their potential.
Broken services:
Sick patients travel hours over rough roads to reach understaffed hospitals which dont exist in other areas such as Soi county. Sports fields are barren, young athletes have no coaches, no equipment, no support. Our talents, our minds, our health are all ignored.
Harsh enforcement without alternatives:
Families living near Mount Elgon are fined, harassed, and threatened while trying to survive. Gardens are destroyed, paths blocked, and small freedoms punished. Survival becomes a crime. Communities are left to balance hunger and safety against the law, with no support or alternatives from the authorities.
Our Mission
We exist to transform grief, frustration, and neglect into organized, peaceful action that restores dignity, safety, and opportunity for every person in Sebei.
Our pledge
We will not celebrate violence. We pledge to act with dignity, to protect our communities, and to use lawful, peaceful means to claim our rights. We will turn grief into organized action until Sebei receives the respect, protection, and development it deserves.
Join SNYM, your Sebei needs you.
If you are tired of watching, if you are done with being ignored, join SNYM. Bring your courage, your story, your phone. Together we will demand justice.
Contact / Join:
Email: bleedingsebei@nationalyouthmovement.org
Follow: Our Tikok handle