Courts must deal with trespassers firmly

Our courts have not learnt much from the spate of killings in Laikipia and are still treating trespassers with kid gloves even when it has emerged their actions may have triggered numerous raids on ranches.

Just last week, police complained that trespassers were getting away with lenient fines even when some of them are perpetrators of crimes and have been party to the raiding of ranches in the vast Laikipia plains.

Imposing a Sh500 fine on a trespasser when life has been lost from their previous actions is a travesty of justice. The courts cannot afford to treat these trespasses lightly because in so doing, they encourage others to venture into other people’s ranches, knowing that the consequences of their actions will be overlooked.

Last week, police arrested 15 people and said raids on ranches were escalating. The trend has been to detain the animals that belong to the trespassers and when the owners venture to claim their livestock, they are arrested and taken to court. Once they pay the fines, they get their animals back.

While we appreciate that a distinction must be made between a violent raider and herders trespassing on private farms, we must be cognizant of the fact that criminals often pass themselves off as ignorant trespassers and use this cover to commit atrocious crimes. The courts must impose deterrent penalties on those who trespass and cause great worry to the ranchers of Laikipia County.