Baringo, Kenya: Human Rights groups in Baringo County are mourning Saturday's killing of 11 people by Pokot raiders and have faulted the county and the national government of its continued failure to cushion the people from killer cattle-rustlers.
Speaking separately to The Standard, Baringo Human Rights Network chairman Kipruto Kimosop said that it was unacceptable that raiders have been left to kill and maim people in the county as authorities fail to take action.
Kimosop has asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to take a decisive action against the bandits and swiftly order investigation into the source of arms in the hands of the Pokot community.
"It is totally unacceptable to allow one community kill their neighbours in a shameless bloodletting. I plead with the President to take a decisive action on them," he said.
He however pointed fingers at Tiaty MP Asman Kamama saying he has never condemned the atrocities undertaken by his community openly. He said leaders are to blame for any repeated killings done by their people.
"Kamama should be investigated. As a leader he should be able to stop his people from killing other communities. But sadly, he has never done so," he said.
He also accused Baringo Governor Ben Cheboi of employing "cosmetic" approaches to the menace. He lamented that Cheboi had invested millions of money in a peace caravan early this year whose fruits have not been seen. He also argued that the peace task force formed during the meeting has never started working.
Ilchamus minority rights activist Moses Olempaka who lost two relatives during the Saturday attack has lamented at the rate at which the community is losing young people to callous killings.
He appealed to the President to urgently intervene and restore peace in the now volatile border between the Pokot and the Ilchamus.
"Pokot have a lot of weapons which should be returned by the government or else we shall all be killed," said Olempaka.
In a rejoinder MP Kamama has condemned the killings and shunned revenge attack conducted by the Pokot people.
"The police should do their work well and communities should stop revenge missions. In this case, both communities lost their own," he said.
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