State likely to impose curfew in troubled Kerio Valley

The government might consider imposing a curfew in troubled Kerio valley, even as leaders from the Pokot and Marakwet communities failed to turn up for peace talks.

South Rift Regional Coordinator Wanyama Musiambo said he might impose a curfew in the region if peace calls are not heeded.

“If the two communities will not engage its leaders in dialogue to end the clashes, the government will have to use means like the ones it applied in Mandera,” Mr Musiambo said during the meeting.

The meeting, organised by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), purposed to find a solution to the Kerio Valley conflict that has left more than 10 dead.

The leaders who snubbed the forum include county governors from the two communities, senators and area MPs, sparking protests from community members who questioned why they had boycotted the forum, threatening to walk out if their leaders did not show up.

On the first day of the talks taking place at Bontana Hotel in Nakuru on Thursday, NCIC put security agencies to task and demanded the arrest of all suspects linked to the clashes.

Chairman Francis Ole Kaparo said warring parties in regions he has visited claimed they decided to take the law into their own hands after seeing that security agencies were not taking any action against the perpetrators.

“In the case of Kerio Valley, we see the Marakwet community taking law into their own hands to avenge the loss incurred by their member after a member from the Pokot community damaged his farm produce,” Mr Kaparo said.

REGISTER FIRE ARMS

The ongoing meeting is being attended by more than 200 elders from both Baringo and Elgeyo Marakwet counties.

Mr Kaparo urged the two communities to engage in a dialogue to end the clashes.

The meeting was interrupted by the members of County Assembly led by Sambirir ward MCA Mr Paul Suter who protested the leaders’ boycott.

Mr Suter queried the absence of Tiaty MP Asman Kamama, who is the chair of the National Assembly Security committee, who claimed to have travelled to South Sudan.

He accused him of intentionally boycotting the activity.

“Mr Kamama being the chairman of the powerful parliamentary committee on national security ought to be here to tell us what is the problem with his region,” Mr Suter said.

Mr Musiambo called on the communities to register their fire arms in order to propel the success of the peace process.

“What the communities need to understand is that having untrained individuals handle the fire arms pose a great threat to their own security. It is, therefore, important to register so that we can all be accountable,” he said.

He also urged the residents to collaborate with security officers in order to end the problems.