Students walk for 106km to bring peace in Baragoi

By NICHOLAS ANYUOR

Sarah Ibrahim, 14, recalls with fear the day she heard about the killings of more than 40 police officers in Baragoi.

The killings happened when the officers were trailing cattle rustlers who had stolen hundreds of cattle from Samburu region. Being a student at Kisima Girls’ High School in Samburu, Ibrahim and her colleagues have been living in fear. The students, however, decided to help find peace in the volatile region.

“We thought of organising a walk to Baragoi to tell communities about the importance of peace in the region,” said Ibrahim. And last month, more than 300 students from schools in Maralal, Samburu and Pokot areas joined Ibrahim and other peace ambassadors for a peace march that covered 106km. 

 The walk from Maralal to Baragoi took four days. It was flagged off by Samburu Governor Moses Lenolkulal and presided over by MP Sammy Leshore.

 “The walk was tough. It was even risky, but we had to take the responsibility and courage to talk to people about the need for peace,” said Jecinta Njeri of Kisima girls. Other teams that participated in the walk included Administration Police officers, Catholic Diocese of Maralal, World Vision-Kenya, Maralal Boys’ High School, Children Peace Initiative-Kenya and university and college students.They had stopovers between Maralal and Baragoi where they met locals and discussed with them possible ways of finding peace.

“Many people who had heard about the walk waited for us on the way. We talked to them and they promised to continue with peace initiatives,” said Ibrahim.

Peace Ambassadors-Kenya Deputy Patron Francis Kooli said the walk was fruitful since students had face-to-face talks with locals.

Co-existence

“They faced locals and talked to them as their sons and daughters. They explained to them why continuous violence was a threat to the future of students,” he said. The routes identified by students covered areas occupied by various communities. This enabled them to reach members of all communities in the area.

“We were telling them to love and care for each other regardless of where they come from,” said Njeri.

Aloice Losike, a Baragoi resident, said students helped them realise time has come to embrace peace. “What students have told us is a clear message that will help us abandon arrows and guns. We need to talk to each other and preach peace,” he said. “With personal interactions between participants and locals, the effectiveness of the whole project was boosted and it is our belief that the communities shall live to fulfill their promise of upholding peace,” said Kooli.