Nasuulu Conservancy officers have appealed to the government to arm all conservancies officers in order to reduce banditry and cattle rustling activities in northern Kenya.
Speaking at inter-tribal peace meeting held at Nasuulu conservancy headquarters in Loruko location Thursday, the conservancy chairperson Ms. Sadia Mohamed said that frequent attacks by the criminals could be brought down if the local rangers were provided with adequate firearms.
Mohamed said that the Nasuulu conservancy has only four guns which are shared in turns by a big number of the rangers hired. With these few arms, she noted, helping the communities in event of banditry attacks was difficult because the assailants are well armed.
She added that her organization had put up a chief’s office and the local residents’ livelihood had improved through support of the Northern Rangeland Trust (NRT). ‘We are promoting the community art craft activities like beading which empowers them economically,’ Mohamed said.
The NRT Chief Program Officer Mr. Issa Gedi said that 112,329 livestock were stolen from the area in the past three years and only 52,169 were recovered where a number of lives were also lost.
Gedi added that during the period 207 people were injured and most of them were breadwinners for their families but they are now disabled and depend on relief food from the government.
He further said that his organization was engaged in a plan to transform the Morans from involving themselves in cattle theft and instead indulge in more productive and legal occupations.
‘The organization is currently sponsoring the Morans to enroll in artisan skills training that could earn them a living and leave the outdated cattle theft activities,’ Gedi added.
He said that NRT would closely work with Morans, Chiefs, Women groups and divisional security committees to end the cattle rustling which had contributed to the region lagging behind in development.
The meeting, which had brought together elders from Marsabit, Samburu, Laikipia, Meru and Isiolo Counties saw elders from Borana, Meru, Turkana, Somali and Samburu communities declare to end cattle rustling and other crimes which had unfavorably affected the region economically.
The meeting dubbed, ‘Nasuulu Declaration’ was chaired by National Coordinator for Peace and Conflict Resolution in the Interior Ministry Mr. Jacob Narengo. Eastern Regional Commissioner Mr. Paul Rotich and Isiolo County Commissioner Mr. Geoffrey Omoding also attended the gathering alongside other leaders.
Source: Kenya News Agency