Operation Faulted As Bandit Raids Continue
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The East African Standard (Nairobi)
June 2, 2005
Posted to the web June 2, 2005
Martin Mutua
Nairobi
Turkana leaders have criticised the disarmament of the community following continued raids by bandits from neighbouring countries.
On Tuesday night, Toposa raiders from Sudan killed four people in Lokichogio town, while a local leader, Laibon Natugwa Ekusi, was hacked to death by Matheniko raiders from Uganda at Namorututh.
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Water Assistant minister John Munyes and former Turkana Central MP Emmanuel Imana yesterday accused the Government of failing to provide security to their people.
Munyes, who is the area MP, said his constituents risked being wiped out if the disarmament, spearheaded by the Government, continued.
Speaking on telephone, Munyes said the Matheniko, a sub-tribe of the Karamojong, stole 300 cattle during the raid.
"How can you disarm people leaving them vulnerable to Sudanese, Ugandan and Ethiopian raiders? Does the Government want us to leave our country?" he posed.
Munyes said he had met Internal Security John Michuki and proposed ways of carrying out the disarmament without endangering the locals.
He said Kenya could adopt a strategy similar to one in Ugandan, where some ordinary citizens, under the name 'Local Defence Forces', were allowed to carry guns on behalf of the government.
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"These people are just like police reservists but they wear uniforms. Those to be given the mandate are picked by elders and officially armed," said the assistant minister.
He said Turkana is only served by "a handful" of policemen who are no match for the foreign raiders.
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