Residents seek refuge in rock caves as bandits roam valley of death

Residents flee from their home to seek refuge in caves at Chesongoch and Chesetan area along the Kerio Valley in Elgeyo Marakwet County. The violence pitting the Pokot against the Marakwet communities has claimed scores of lives and displacing thousands. 20-10-2016. PHOTOS BY: KEVIN TUNOI

An uneasy silence strikes you as approach the scenic valley. Homesteads, schools, market centres and roads are deserted. Save for the occasional security vehicle plying the Tot-Biretwo road, ours is the only car on the road as we head to the Kerio Valley side of Elgeyo Marakwet County.

The area is desolate, an eerie and despondent silence fills the air. Economic activities are slowly grinding to a halt.

School play grounds have been turned into grazing fields as men clutching bows and arrows stand guard. They are taking nothing to chance. Children, women and the elderly are nowhere to be seen – they are hiding in the caves of the Elgeyo escarpment to escape the bloodletting menace that is cattle rustling along the Kerio Valley triangle.

Raiders believed to be from Tiaty in neighbouring Baringo County are wreaking havoc here, stealing animals and brutally killing those who attempt to stand in their way.

The raids have escalated to unprecedented levels this year, with local reports putting the number of those killed at more than 30. Tens of others nursing gunshots wounds.

Locals are accusing the government of neglecting them as gun-toting raiders terrorise them.

Horrendous killings

For the family of Justine Kipkeu, Monday’s horrendous events will forever be etched in their minds. Justine, 23, was killed by the cattle rustlers who pumped his body with bullets long after he was dead.

“We have never witnessed such heinous killings since the day cattle raids were first reported in Kerio Valley. His body was riddled with bullets as if he was target practice,” said Bernard, Justine’s brother.

Justine was herding his family’s livestock along the pasture rich banks of the Kerio River when armed Pokot raiders suddenly attacked him before driving away his animals.

“My brother has left a very young family and we are asking the government to compensate his wife so she can raise her child,” Bernard said.

John Kiplule, 47, is lucky to be alive. A gunshot wound on his leg will serve as a reminder of the near-dead experience that befell him when raiders drove away his 130  animals. “I was asleep in the manyatta when I was awakened by sporadic gun fire at around 5am. One bullet shattered my leg. We have never crossed into Pokot land to steal livestock. Why are they attacking us? Why does the government remain silent?” he said.

Hundreds of women and children have been forced to seek refuge in caves along the escarpment, away from the raiders. But they are still at constant risk of being attacked by wild animals.

“It is better to live with wild animals than in our homes where one can be shot at by the raiders. We better live without food than be mercilessly butchered,” said Monica Simion. Apart from the wild animals, the refuge seekers have to bear with the dangers of falling rocks.

“There are people nursing snake bites. If the situation continues,  we will lose more people to the wild animals also,” she said.

Since the attacks begun, several schools, including Chesetan, Ratia and Kombases have been closed after the learners and their teachers also fled the attacks.

Linah Kiptum, who lost her brother in-law to one of the attacks, accused the government of neglecting them. “The government is reluctant to disarm members of the Pokot community who are perpetrating the attacks. For how long will our neighbours kill our people? Who will take care of the families left behind? The government must rescue us.”

Relief food

Residents say the presence of the over 400 police officers the Government recently deployed to help stop bloodletting in the area has not been felt as Marakwet and Pokots herders continue to engage in cattle rustling along the Kerio Valley.

“The officers are only seen moving along the Tot-Biretwo road instead of patrolling the affected areas along the Kerio River,” said Kinur.

Two legislators from the area have threatened to ditch the Jubilee if President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto do not urgently intervene to stop attacks.

Marakwet East MP Kangogo Bowen and his Marakwet West counterpart William Kisang said the government continues to ignore the plight of the Marakwets who are being killed “like chicken” in Kerio valley.

“We are wondering why we should keep on singing that we are in government when our people are suffering. We cannot continue to stomach this,” said Bowen.

Kisang said several schools in the region have been affected and raised concern that students due to sit for their national examinations could be affected.

“Our people do not have food because of the attacks, their farms have turned into battlefields. The government should sent relief food to the region,” he said.