Lokiriama, Kenya: The neighboring pastoralist communities, the Turkana of Kenya and the Karimojong of Uganda, persistently pressure their respective governments to consider establishing a cross-border veterinary school along the Uganda-Kenya border, specifically on the side of Moroto.
They argue that such a school would provide an opportunity for their children to study animal medicine, addressing the shortage of veterinary doctors in the pastoralist communities.
Mr. John Epuke, one of the Turkana elders, emphasized that establishing a cross-border veterinary school would strengthen the current co-existence between the Karimojong and the Turkana.
Previously, the two pastoralist communities of Turkana and Karimojong had conflicts over cattle. However, they are currently in good relations after the government successfully disarmed the Karimojong pastoralists.
The elders made these demands during an interaction with this publication last Thursday in Lokiriama, Turkana County.
Peter Loputh, a Turkana elder from Loima District in Kenya, expressed excitement about the current peace that has united the Turkana and the Karimojong. He appealed to the two governments to invest in developing the Kenya-Uganda border.
“As pastoralists, what we need is a veterinary school so that our children can study animal medicine, enabling them to rescue our animals from dying,” he stated.
Mark Lote, an elder from Tepeth County in Moroto District, emphasized that the veterinary school would not only target the children of Turkana or Karimojong pastoralists but also welcome children from other regions to study.
Mr. Lote noted that the two governments seem uninterested in implementing many crucial demands made by pastoralists. Despite numerous occasions where pastoralists have made important demands, the two governments have taken different actions.
