BY STEPHEN ASTARIKO
Isiolo Governor Abdi Guyo has denounced the ongoing attacks on herders by armed robbers from nearby counties.
He said pastoralists have been impoverished for years due to cattle rustling.
Guyo spoke in Babala on Saturday while visiting herders from Kulamawe and Barambate in Isiolo South constituency who had relocated to Babala in Isiolo North in search of pasture.
For years, Isiolo South communities have clashed with their neighbors from Garissa, Marsabit, and Samburu, leading to deaths, property destruction, and displacement.
The main source of conflict has been competition for water and pasture, as well as boundary disputes.
DECISIVE ACTION
Guyo, escorted by a number of dignitaries, including assembly speaker Mohammed Roba, Isiolo county secretary Dade Boru and MCAs, said the moment has arrived for the security teams to take decisive action against the threat permanently.
The police have been called upon to step up efforts to guarantee that all 30 camels stolen from Isiolo herders and found in the Merille in Marsabit are returned to their rightful owners.
“Prof Kithure Kindiki, please take action against these militias who have taken it upon themselves to constantly steal animals and then transport them to nearby counties. “ This has to end because it is the source of the never-ending violent conflicts that we constantly see,” he said.
He urged the National Police Reservist offi cers to protect the lives of the local herders and their property by using the firearms that have been provided to them wisely by the government.
He urged the public to keep the peace and uphold harmony with neighbors at all times, even in the face of provocation, declaring that it was unacceptable to keep losing innocent lives.
Hundreds of herders from Kulamawe, Barambate, and Gotu areas have set up camp in the Babala and its surroundings, seeking pasture for their cattle while they wait for the rains.
The government has sustained eff orts in the war against bandits in recent months.
