Leaders funding fighting in northern Kenya, says NCIC Chairperson Francis ole Kaparo

National Cohesion Integration Commission (NCIC) is monitoring Northern Kenya leaders and professionals, who it says are fuelling conflict in the region.

NCIC Chairperson Francis ole Kaparo said he was closely observing leaders from Samburu, Turkana, Pokot, Tugen, Rendille, El Molo and Borana communities.

"We know that much of the conflict is fuelled by incitement from political leaders as well as professionals. They should stop this habit because we are now monitoring them and we will take firm action," he said yesterday while meeting professionals from these communities in Nairobi.

He said politicians and professionals in these areas have made "killings and conflicts a pastime" by inciting their communities into violence, and revealed that NCIC was monitoring them in all platforms including social media.

Kaparo accused the two groups of supplying weapons, including guns, to the youth.

"As professionals from those regions, we should blame ourselves since we are the ones who send money through our mobile phones to purchase the weapons used in the conflict and to pay people to fight. We should not point fingers elsewhere.

"The business of selling guns and bullets is booming in Northern Kenya and the people behind it are not interested in seeing peace return. We shall deal with them also," he said.

Kaparo accused leaders from those areas of doublespeak. He said they accuse the Government of not preventing conflict in Northern Kenya on one hand and on other, refuse to support the Government in disarming warring communities.

"For the last ten years, we have lost entire generations of youths to unnecessary conflict in Northern Kenya. The conflicts have also affected birth rates, the youths we have lost have not even been replaced," he said.

Kaparo also warned that incomplete boundary demarcation in various counties across the country was also fueling unnecessary conflicts with communities fighting to claim the contested parts.

The professionals said among key drivers of conflict in the region was unfair distribution of resources by county governments, which they claimed favoured certain communities.

Led by Raphael Lenaiyarra, they claimed cattle rustling was fuelled by commercial interests, noting that most of the stolen cattle end up in slaughterhouses in urban centres.