Stop these attacks by bandits and loss of life
What you need to know:
- The National Government’s promises of enhanced security in the conflict zones amount to empty political rhetoric as long as innocent Kenyans continue to lose their lives.
- The government needs to address this growing insecurity as a matter of urgency and assure candidates and residents of their safety during this important examination period and, indeed, as they go about their everyday lives.
Every other day, we report deadly conflict on the common borders of Turkana, West Pokot, and Baringo counties.
The latest attack was on Monday when raiders struck at Kasarani Trading Centre in Turkana, injuring a policeman and burning a vehicle belonging to the Turkana East police chief which was ferrying examination papers for Kapedo Mixed Secondary School.
Last Friday, another bandit attack left a primary school headteacher in a critical condition. Students in the violence-prone areas now have to sit their end-of-year examinations under armed police guard, which not only makes it difficult for them to concentrate but also increases tension.
It is known that the biggest trigger behind these incessant attacks is not just what might seem to be age-old ethnic feuds and cattle rustling, but also unresolved boundary disputes that have intensified in recent times with the establishment of county governments and the scramble for newly discovered oil and other natural resources.
PROMISES OF SECURITY
The National Government’s promises of enhanced security in the conflict zones amount to empty political rhetoric as long as innocent Kenyans continue to lose their lives.
The government needs to address this growing insecurity as a matter of urgency and assure candidates and residents of their safety during this important examination period and, indeed, as they go about their everyday lives.
Politicians known to finance and organise these dastardly and inhumane acts must be made to face the full force of the law.
The people of Turkana, Baringo, and West Pokot and other neglected regions where insecurity reigns are no lesser Kenyans. The right to safety, security, and peace must be guaranteed for all.
