North Rift governors have called on the government to speed up vetting of National Police Reservists in the region and reinstate them.
Speaking in Kapenguria, Turkana Governor Josphat Nanok and his West Pokot counterpart John Lonyangapuo said residents have been left vulnerable to attacks.
Nanok said the government should speed up the process and register NPRs since they have played a major role in maintaining peace.
He said cases of cattle rustling in the region had dropped and lack of NPRs may bring back the attacks.
“Residents are suffering and are living in fear since they have nobody to protect them from enemies. We need the guns back so that we can have stable peace in the region,” he said.
The governor said leaders from the region are focused on peace.
“Most of our borders are safe after we united as elected leaders and decided to put party politics aside. Only a few corridors are in secure,” he said.
He said communities in the region are neighbours and relatives and are interdependent for supply of goods and services.
“Most of the produce from West Pokot is sold in Turkana county and we need to live in harmony to continue benefiting from each other,” he said.
Lonyangapuo said NPRs have played a major role in restoring peace in the region since they have been conducting regular border patrols.
“NPRs have helped in ensuring the areas they serve are secure since they conduct daily patrols and this has helped prevent attackers from striking,” he said.
“The government needs to make sure NPRs have been given back their guns to help reduce killings in the region,” he said.
However, West Pokot county commissioner Apollo Okello assured residents that the government wants to ensure all NPRs working in the region carry out their functions in a professional manner.
Apollo said the government had taken long before conducting the exercise and some of the NPRS were aged and not able execute their duties effectively.
“Some of the NPRs were issued the guns 20 years ago and they are now old and some have decided to hand over the government weapon to their sons and grandchildren, which is against the law,” he said.
The leaders also called on the government to improve road network in the region to help enhance trade among the counties.
They said the region is endowed with many resources and trade will help transform the region.
