Disarm all pastoral communities, West Pokot leaders tell gov’t

A section of leaders in West Pokot have urged the government to ensure that the ongoing disarmament process in the volatile North Rift Region is conducted among all the pastoral communities without bias.

On Friday, March 17, President Kenyatta ordered the deployment of the military to the troubled region to help the police in restoring law and order, including conducting a disarmament exercise in a bid to end the constant banditry attacks and killing of innocent people.

However, there have been reports saying that only The Pokot community is targeted in the process, yet firearms are owned by all the pastoral communities in the region.

Led by Sigor lawmaker Philip Rotino, and West Pokot Deputy Governor Titus Lotee, the leaders welcomed the president’s decision, urging the government to ensure that the operation is conducted in a humane way as innocent people like the elderly, children and women might be affected.

“We know how this kind of military operations can be, the women, children, and elderly are likely to be affected,” said the Sigor lawmaker.

They now want the security personnel deployed in the region to liaise with local area administrators who, they say, will help them fish out the bandits and also prevent innocent residents from being targeted and mistreated.

Written by Majanga Michael