Fear and terror reign in the killing fields of Isiolo

By Ramadhan Rajab

In every manyatta around Isiolo District, residents tell sad stories of relatives who have been killed or injured by bandits and cattle rustlers.

Insecurity has escalated to unprecedented levels since the beginning of this year, costing many lives and pushing residents to flee for fear of attacks.

Isiolo and its environs have fallen under a perpetual fog of attacks which some locals blame on political instigation while other decry laxity by security forces.

At least 70 people have been killed, scores injured and hundreds fled their homes since April this year.

A team from The Standard drove through the rugged rangelands of acacia and dry shrubs to interview residents who have borne the brunt of the insecurity.

Survivors narrate harrowing experiences the fighting that has seen many of them end up in hospitals or lose relatives.

A senior tourist police officer Ndenge Diba, who sustained bullet wounds on both shoulders in May, says he was attacked in a nearby animal sanctuary after escorting tourists to a lodge, but he was lucky to fight back single-handedly and to escape.

"The bandits are often heavily armed, we have not seen such sophistication around here," Diba said.

Bullet wounds

To Archbishop Abraham Oche, nursing bullet wounds and lying at Isiolo District Hospital together with Diba, the insecurity has been

alarming. He says a political hand is suspected to be behind the skirmishes.

"We are sitting on a time bomb, this might be a massacre in the offing, if the government continues to sit on its laps and watch from a distance as it is doing now, no one knows what will be next" Oche said.

Local politicians have not helped the case much as they traded accusations of political instigation.

"The skirmishes are politically instigated to cause an economic sabotage to Isiolo town. The attacks started when plans were announced to make Isiolo a tourist hub, starting with construction of an international airport " the area MP who is also the Livestock Minister Dr Mohamed Kuti said.

He has in the past blamed attacks on morans from Samburu District whom he says are politically funded.

But Samburu East MP, Letimalo Lakalei, has since denied accusations that morans have participated in the attacks. He argues that lack of pasture and water are to blame for the conflict, not politics.

Other residents allege that apart from having political backup, the morans are mobilised, financed and co-ordinated by Northern

Rangelands Trust (NRT) soldiers who work under the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, a claim Mr Ian Craig executive director Lewa conservancy denied in an interview.

"I’ve seen the allegations in the press, I disregard it in total, we cannot finance anything out of our project plans and our books of finance are thoroughly audited," Craig said.

But many residents claim the Government effort to curb insecurity is lacklustre.

"The government has failed to curb the spate of insecurity, over 300 police officers were deployed to quell the violence but the attacks continue," said a resident. Internal Security Minister George Saitoti has denied police have failed.

"These are serious security issues, and if you don’t tell me who said the police are incapacitated then that is hearsay," Saitoti brushed off our question at a press conference in Nairobi, that the police appear unable to fight the insurgency.

The face of horror unfolds as we start a search for the truth behind the killings, in now what seems ungoverned, lawless badlands where the rattle of the gun has become the most likely sound.

Freshly dug graves confirm the list we had from the police containing 21 names of those killed and buried at a graveyard near Isiolo town in the last two months, among them police officers.

A dry wind blows violently over the expansive graveyard, breaking the quietness in the place as if to ascertain the grief that the violence has brought to local pastoralists communities.

From the cemetery, we proceed to Gambela village - almost 16 kilometres North East of Isiolo town.

On the way, our security escort cocks his gun and holds on to it firmly, warning there could be a shoot out any time.

"Expect the worst on this route, it is classified as dangerous and even those using it to Merti and Marsabit have been advised to avoid it or have heavy police escort," he says, matter-of-factly.

We arrive after a 30-minute drive through rough dusty terrain. Despite visible heavy police presence, residents here in Gambela say they have known little peace.

More than eight people have been killed in the last two months with half of the villagers vacating their manyattas fearing for their lives.

Residents, who talked to The Standard, expressed their dissatisfaction with the current police operation that started a month ago.

Mama Fatuma Abdi accused the police of failing in their mandate but finding excuses by harassing residents instead of pursing the enemy - the rustlers.

"They are here just in a show of uniform, they sit on those shades of tress all day, and when some of them leave for Isiolo in the evening few that remain here harass us all night," she says in Borana language through an interpreter.

"They knock on our doors demanding that we show them who the gunmen are, whereas we the civilians should be posing the same question to them."

"We are not secure, with or without them (police), because so far since they pitched their tents here weeks ago, the only thing they have managed to do is collect bodies of our family members who have fallen prey to the bullets of the rustlers from the Samburu," Ibrahim Abdi a resident interjects.

Guyo Boru, a farmer on the banks of Garmile River, alleges the police are giving the raiders immunity.

"We don’t know who to trust between the raiders and the police, when our animals are stolen we don’t see police pursue the cattle rustlers," Boru said.

Before we could finish our interviews with the residents, unpredictably, Administration Police Senior deputy commandant Omar Shurie, and Chief of operations Peter Pamba arrived with three truckloads of officers.

Though appearing surprised by our presence, Pamba quickly said he was reviewing the security situation on behalf of his boss Kinuthia Mbugua.

"I was sent to assess the security situation since we started the operation two weeks ago, our mandate is to maintain law and order and make sure that life and property is protected, and as you see now all is well," Shurie said with an authoritative voice.

He inspected a police parade, then said he was headed to Shaba game reserve.

We followed his convoy through Shaba game reserve without a hitch.

After easing for about four kilometres through the rugged terrain of the park, there were herds of livestock being looked after by armed herders.

Shurie ordered the police to drive the animals out of the park, without pursuing the gunmen to seize their illegal guns.

An administration police officer later told us the herders were also part time bandits armed with M16 rifles, the Ak47 and some with G3 guns.

"Tumechoka kufanya kazi ya kuosha kuku mguu (we are tired of daily exercise of just driving animals out the park). We have been told not to attack the gunmen and this makes this exercise a zero sum game," said a soldier bristling with discontent.