In a move to address the recent increase in banditry incidents along the Kenya-Uganda border, the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) have been dispatched to the Kanyerus Area of West Pokot. Their mission is to eliminate criminal elements responsible for the disturbances and restore order in the affected region. This decision follows a series of attacks by bandits, during which residents were killed, and livestock was stolen.
The situation escalated further when a councillor in neighboring Uganda was also killed, heightening tensions in the area.
After the government deployed a joint security team comprising KDF and Kenya police officers to restore order, residents who had fled the village for weeks are gradually returning to their normal daily routines.
One resident, Chepokilipa Chilakit, expressed their relief, saying, “We didn’t even have any security to protect us…it was just us…wandering at night with children and cattle…we suffered greatly.”
Another resident added, “People have been severely affected, leaving their homes to move elsewhere, and it would also be helpful if we could count the number of people in each household.”
Security officers patrolling the area have called upon residents to cooperate with them and provide crucial information about criminals from both sides of the neighboring countries.
“There have been thefts…there are a few residents who collaborate with criminals from Uganda, and that’s how they’ve been entering here,” stated Kacheliba OCPD Victor Nzaka.
“We were requesting for security on both the Kenyan and Ugandan sides so that people can be monitored, and property and families can be safeguarded because that’s what has posed a challenge in this border area,” added Abdi Kassim, another resident.
During a series of security meetings that brought together the Sebei community, the Southern-Nilotic ethnic group residing in Eastern Uganda, and the Pokot Community, local leaders urged both the Kenyan and Ugandan governments to confiscate illegal firearms.
“What benefit do you get from reading in the newspapers, social media negatively…today it’s cattle, tomorrow it’s bullets, and I have presented a motion to these authorities; disarmament is the only solution,” emphasized former West Pokot Governor John Lonyangapuo.
“It’s indeed dangerous for someone to have a gun or be given a gun without rules and regulations…for almost two weeks now, this area has become a hotspot of insecurity, and people can’t sleep in their homes.”
Two weeks ago, conflict erupted between the Sebei and Pokot communities after bandits from Uganda raided and killed a local councilor, along with stealing an unknown number of cattle.
The presence of the joint security team has not only restored peace but has also allowed students to return to their classrooms.
