Political leaders from the two disputing communities in North Rift region held a crisis meeting last Sunday in Eldoret in a bid to find a lasting solution to the frequent conflicts.
The meeting organized by the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission after it emerged that a rival community was planning to launch a vicious revenge mission. This was after the killing of over 60 people in Nadome along the volatile border of Baringo and Turkana.
The meeting termed as ‘Turkana and Baringo political leaders joint committee for peace’ came out with a raft of resolutions following increased hostilities in Nadome and surrounding areas, aimed to stop the violence which is threatening.
The leaders agreed to call for immediate stop of hatred and hostilities by the communities they represent. They requested the national government to address the matter urgently since these communities clash over boundaries.
The leaders further called on President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto to urgently organize a meeting with political leaders of the North Rift pastoralist communities so as to get the solution to the disagreement.
They want the cabinet secretary for Interior and National Coordination Joseph Nkaissery to operationalize on registration of illegal firearms in the affected communities and deploy national police reservists in the region
James Lomenen, the MP from Turkana South said that the government’s plans to launch a major disarmament exercise to wipe out illegal firearms in the expansive region will not succeed due to lack of political goodwill and support from the local elected leaders.
He said that the local political leadership should be consulted on the matter before the government deploys security a personnel to carry out the exercise.