Bandits use national parks as escape routes

By LEONARD KORIR

KENYA: Heavily armed bandits dressed in what locals describe as military uniform raided a village near the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and drove away 130 heads of cattle.

Women herding the animals during the 3pm incident in February watched helplessly as the bandits drove the cattle into the park.

They raised the alarm and a group of men from a nearby village pursued the raiders. Brandishing guns and machetes, the group ran after the bandits but they shot in the air, perhaps to scare them.

Locals say quick response to such attacks can force the raiders to abandon slow moving cattle. The villagers attempt to enter the park, however, was thwarted by rangers who said it was a no-go zone.

The group watched helplessly as the raiders crossed into Kenya through the Masai Mara national game reserve before exiting to Angatta Barrikoi area in Trans Mara West District.

The raiders enter the reserve and split the animals into smaller herds before each group takes a different direction. Locals claim rangers offer protection to the bandits or are compromised to facilitate the illegal trade.

Despite the troubled border being manned by security officers, cattle rustling menace has continued to thrive. Insiders familiar with the trade claim that most bandits are ex-military officers who have easy access to uniforms and guns. Security officers in the region have been accused of failure to stem cattle raids.

The menace has also cut short the lives of locals and security officers while scores have been maimed. Victims of cattle raids claim the Mara and Serengeti parks have been turned into a passage route by bandits. Residents who spoke on condition of anonymity accused Anti-Stock Theft officers of indirectly facilitating raids carried out by former soldiers.

Reformed cattle rustler Chacha Ikwabe (not his real name) from Kuria East says security personnel in the region are out numbered by the bandits and cannot effectively end the menace.

Powerful guns

“These people (referring to the raiders) are very dangerous and possess some of the most lethal firearms,” he says. He jokingly refers to them as waoga (cowards)’ who first gauge the kind of guns the raiders have by listening to the shots fired then decide whether to pursue them or not.

A herder in Angatta Barrikoi says police decide how to react after listening to the shots fired: “When they hear gunshots from a powerful gun, they buy time until the bandits disappear.”

Investigations by The Standard On Saturday reveal that some politicians and businessmen in the region are the architects and financiers of cattle rustling in the troubled area.

This confirms findings of a similar probe after the Baragoi killings in northern Kenya where more than 40 police officers died during an operation to recover stolen cattle. Sources privy to the trade told this writer politically connected leaders were reaping millions of shillings from the stolen animals.

The same warlords supply illegal firearms to the troubled border and have ensured the status quo prevails.

One of those believed to be a beneficiary of cattle raids in the region is now a member of the Migori County assembly.

Last year, the man was arrested and charged in Kilgoris for being in possession of illegal firearms and for kidnapping a Provincial Administrator. He was released after the official withdrew the complaint, forcing the court to dismiss the case.

A local who gave his name as Marwa, said the raids are planned and executed by experienced and well-paid criminals.

“They outsmart security personnel both in their raiding tricks and with their shooting skills,” he says. Beneficiaries who are not involved in the raids but gain from the stolen cattle also help protect the risky business.

Hired lorries stationed at designated places await the animals, which are loaded under tight security and ferried to different places with ready market.