Elders and peace committee members from Marsabit have agreed to work together to end conflicts that have led to deaths and the destruction of property.
The elders held a two-day meeting in Nanyuki town under the mediation of former National Cohesion and Integration Commission chairman Francis ole Kaparo. They resolved to reach out to their communities in an effort to calm the Northern Kenya county.
This comes after a wave of violence mainly pitting the three dominant communities in the region—the Borana, Gabra and the Rendille—against each other. The conflicts that have been recurring since 1987 have been attributed to boundary disputes, cattle rustling and political interests.
Previous reconciliation meetings failed to reach a truce, with the warring communities targeting each other in retaliatory attacks. The conflicts have also claimed the lives of senior government officials, elected leaders and mediators during peace missions.
Statistics from the county department of cohesion and disaster management indicate that since September 2018, more than 130 people have been killed during armed attacks and thousands of livestock stolen.
Some of the killings are suspected to be driven by hatred among the communities. A case in point is when four university students were shot dead at Kalale.
The two-day reconciliation meeting facilitated by Northern Rangelands Trust saw representatives of the three communities vow to preach peace once they got back home and pledged to ensure the truce holds.
“You have to be sincere with each other and this is the only way to coexist. You should also stop pointing fingers at one another as this would escalate the enmity,” Kaparo said.
He called on support from the county and national governments to solve the boundary disputes while urging political leaders to desist from inciting their constituents for political expediency.
The former National Assembly speaker said there will be follow-up meetings to ensure the elders keep their pledge to promote peace in the villages.
Edited by Henry Makori
