Arrest volatile situation in Turkana

Residents flee from Lomelo village in Baringo County following an attack by suspected Turkana raiders in which at least 14 people were killed.

A meeting arranged last Friday between the warring Turkana and Pokot communities over stolen goats turned tragic when attackers raided the venue, killing three people. The attackers then raided three other villages, killing a total of 14 people. Cattle rustling between the two communities remains a headache.

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s visit to Kapedo, Turkana in November 2014 to assess the extent of atrocities after cattle rustlers killed 21 police officers should have heralded a new dawn in the way security matters in the area are handled. In 2012, another 42 police officers lost their lives to cattle rustlers in Suguta Valley.

It is disturbing that these incidents have not stirred the security apparatus in the region enough to put a stop to such costly raids even after Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet visited Baringo in March 2015 to get first-hand information on the security situation and promised tough measures that are yet to be seen.

A few days after his visit, the Turkana invaded a village in West Pokot, leaving 50 people dead.
The Government cannot continue to treat lost life like a mere statistic. How many people must die before authorities take the cattle rustling menace seriously?

Given that 1,900 cattle and 762 goats were stolen, it is possible that as has been the case before, retaliatory attacks could be in the offing.

The time to act decisively is now before more blood is shed.

The warring communities must be disarmed to scale down the seasonal attacks. Equally important, it would help to establish what role local leaders play in the perpetration of the atrocities and why they have been reluctant to push for lasting peace.

A continuation of atrocities impacts negatively not only on the economy, but also on the social life of the affected people. Kenyans must live in peace and harmony as neighbours.