Government orders forceful disarmament in Laikipia and neighbouring counties

The government has ordered forceful disarmament in Laikipia and neighbouring counties in a bid to quell rampant cases of insecurity in the region.

Following a high-level security meeting held on Thursday, police officers in the region have been directed to size all illegal firearms in the possession of civilians and deal "firmly" with those possessing them.

The security meeting was attended by, among others, Amos Gathecha, the secretary for security and operations in the Interior ministry, Rift Valley Regional Coordinator Wanyama Musiambo, Kenya Police Service Director of Operations Benson Kibui, National Cohesion and Integration Commission representatives, led by chairman Francis ole Kaparo, local members of Parliament and elders.

The announcement comes after the Samburu and Turkana communities clashed over pasture and cattle rustling.

The inter-communal clashes left seven people dead and more than 800 livestock stolen in the past week.

The disarmament order brings a sigh of relief to residents of Laikipia West, which has been a battlefield as herders invade private farms and ranches in search of pasture.

Most grazers from neighbouring Samburu, Baringo, West Pokot, Isiolo and Turkana counties have migrated to private farms in the region in search of pasture and this has created conflict among the communities in the area and prompted attacks.

On Thursday, the government officials said the exercise would help restore peace in Laikipia West and Laikipia North, areas that have experienced hostility among the pastoral communities following the clashes.

'RECOVER FIREARMS'

“A disarmament exercise that kicks off immediately will be carried out in order to recover all unlicensed firearms in the hands of criminals and bandits,” Mr Gathecha said while addressing the security meeting that brought together elders from the two communities and local leaders in Rumuruti.

The Secretary of security and operations in the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government said: “This is the only way to restore peace in the region”.

He said the government had deployed police officers in the area to start the exercise.

“The government has deployed enough security personnel who are facilitated with high armoured vehicles in this area to begin the exercise and am sending you elders to go and advice members of your communities to cooperate,” Mr Gathecha said.

Mr Kibui said that security officers would operate under strict instructions and would not spare anyone trying to resist orders.

The Kenya Police Service's director of operations said peace must be restored and called on residents to cooperate with the security agencies so that the operation could be successful.

Mr Musiambo said cattle rustling activities that have resulted in deaths in the region had been fuelled by possession of illegal guns.

“This time round, the government shall forcibly take them from the residents to stop the menace,” the Rift Valley Regional Coordinator said.

He noted that the government would also scale up efforts to arrest those involved in cattle rustling in order to discourage others from participating in similar acts.

At the same time, he warned politicians in the region to keep off the matter, noting that it was not be a political contest.

BE ARRESTED

Mr Kaparo said politicians who would be found inciting their communities would be arrested and face "the full force of the law".

Laikipia West MP Wachira Karani and his nominated counterpart Sarah Lekorere, who also attended the meeting, said the exercise would help bring sanity in the region.

“Though it is a very painful decision considering the nature under which the exercise is always being carried, these guns must be taken from the hands of these criminals because innocent residents and venerable people among them children, women and elderly people have suffered in the hands of bandits,” Dr Karani said.

Ms Lekorere urged the communities living in the area to agree and embrace peace and security and focus their energies in development activities.

Laikipia North MP Mathew Lemprukel, who had on previous occasions pleaded with the government to stop the operation and allow the herders to surrender the weapons to the government peacefully, did not attend the meeting.

In August, Deputy President William Ruto ordered a similar operation to disarm illegal grazers who had invaded private land in the area. However, the operation was not carried out.