Restore security or lose our votes, Pokot leaders tell government

Members of the Pokot family during a previous peace caravan meeting

Jubilee leaders have threatened not to vote for the government unless peace and security is restored along the border of West Pokot and Turkana counties.

This comes after three people were shot dead at Amolem village on Wednesday by suspected bandits who took off immediately without stealing livestock.

Led by Sigor legislator Philip Rotino, the leaders have condemned the killings and appealed to Government to intervene.

Speaking in Amolen, Rotino stated that the ongoing voter registration exercise has not yet kicked off in the entire Masol ward because of insecurity.

"Nobody is going to vote here if this government of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto still require the votes, they should intervene and try to disarm the suspects," he said.

He claimed that the bullets that were used to kill the young men were from the government armory hence suspected the Kenya Police Reservists for colluding with bandits who are also supplied with guns to kill people.

He added that he will not mobilise the people from his constituency to vote for the government because of insecurity and persistent drought in the area.

"My people are dying because of insecurity and hunger, elephants are also roaming everywhere killing people, my people are not secure , we are asking the government what do they want us to do if the killings continue" he questioned.

He appealed to the government to provide food to the hunger stricken families and buy livestock from the pastoralists before the animals die.

"Some leaders in Turkana are being squeezed by other leaders to disrupt peace along the border so that they can gain political mileage, there is no border issue or cattle rustling, why do they kill and ran away without stealing livestock, I appeal to my people to stop retaliation and let the government deal with the insecurity issue," he said.

West Pokot county police commander Mathews Kuto who was at the scene to collect the bodies from the bushes confirmed the killings and stated that the insecurity issue was no longer about cattle rustling because bandits have been raiding villages killing and fleeing away without stealing livestock.

Kuto said more police camps are being set up in the area and police officers are patrolling day and night to curb insecurity.

Sekerr ward MCA Thomas Ngolesia asked residents to fish out the wrong doers and the government to investigate the bullets that were used to kill the people if they were from the government.

The deceased were buried at Lomut village.