Disarmament orders to pastoralist communities 'routinely ignored'

BARINGO COUNTY: The massacre of 21 police officers at Kapedo in Baringo County has sparked debate over disarmament decrees issued by top security agents that are not followed through.

A number of times there have been ultimatums issued for illegal holders of firearms in pastoralist areas with threats of forceful disarmament following their expiry, which have yielded nothing much.

The orders often fall on deaf ears as leaders of the targeted communities rally behind their ‘people’ and have the orders quashed as soon as operations begin.

In June last year, after taking over the Interior docket, Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku directed the resumption of the disarmament exercise in warring pastoralist communities to recover illegal arms.

And on July 13, 2013, while on a tour of Baragoi, Lenku talked tough and gave bandits a two-week ultimatum to surrender 48 firearms stolen during the Suguta valley massacre or suffer a forceful disarmament.

The bandits defied the order, which was viewed as long overdue, and not a single gun was handed over to the local provincial administration as the Cabinet secretary had directed.

However, after the amnesty period ended, the said operation never took place, apart from deployment of officers who whiled away their time in the camps.

In Baringo, for instance, since the beginning of the year, more than 50 people, half of them police officers, have been killed to date and more than 20,000 others displaced from their homes in Marigat and Baringo North sub-counties due to banditry.

And the stern warning to the violent attackers in the region by Inspector General of Police Kimaiyo and the declaration of a massive operation to disarm cattle raiders is not news to the victims.

“What the IG was doing in Kapedo was a pure publicity stunt aimed at cooling down tempers. The President and his Deputy have issued countless threats but heavily armed criminals continue to maim and kill even police officers as their employer watches,” said Jonathan Lechep,  a resident.

He questioned Kimaiyo’s ultimatums, saying last year in April a similar directive was pronounced at Chemoron’gyon in Marigat sub-county during a high-powered security delegation and 16 months later no operation has been conducted in the region.

LASTING SOLUTION

During the several meetings he held with locals and seen to have been a lasting solution to their suffering, Mr Kimaiyo was accompanied by his two deputies, Grace Kaindi and Samuel Arachi.

Lechep said despite the Government’s threats over disarmament in Tiaty, cattle rustling, banditry and the influx of guns are still rampant.

And it is not only Kimaiyo who seems to be groping in the dark on decrees that no one implements.

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto have continuously used their visits to Baringo to issue threats of disarmament to cattle rustlers.

During their campaigns in February last year, Uhuru and Ruto warned the rustlers to prepare to ship out of the country if they do not stop banditry when they come to power.

But even after the duo ascended to power, nothing stopped the rustlers from staging daring raids killing, maiming and destroying property.

SECURITY PERSONNEL

Despite hundreds of security personnel, including General Service Unit, Rapid Deployment Unit, Regular and Administration Police camping in various spots in the county, the area continues to be the epicentre of banditry.

“The Government is much aware that voluntary laying down of arms by illegal holders has failed and it’s now our demand that those still in possession of guns be compelled to surrender,” said another resident, Nangamungichu Lekatai.

But even as what is believed to be the biggest operation in the region goes on, bandits continue to give security officers sleepless nights.

Currently, residents say there is heavy presence of armed Pokot militiamen, who roam freely and shoot at them.