• West Pokot commissioner Okello said the assault rifles have been in the hands of the bandits who terrorise residents along the border.
• “We managed to get two guns when we gunned down one suspected bandits on Sunday last week; we found the others last week," Okello said.
Five assault rifles used by bandits have been recovered along the West Pokot-Elgeyo Marakwet border.
West Pokot county commissioner Apollo Okello announced the recovery of the guns over three weeks. He spoke at a peace meeting on Monday at Chemsto village along the border.
Okello said bandits have been using the guns to terrorise residents.
“We managed to get two guns when we gunned down one suspected bandit on Sunday last week, the other three guns were found last week,” he said.
Leaders from the two counties agreed to hold peace meetings after bandits gunned down four people; the victims came from both counties.
County commissioners from both West Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet said bandits will be shot dead if their attacks continue.
“We shall not allow a few people to destabilise the peace accord we signed at Chesogon to help end conflicts between the two communities,” Okello said.
He said 41 cows were stolen in the past month and 37 have been recovered. He urged peace committees to continue looking for the remaining four cows.
Elgeyo Marakwet county commissioner Ahmed Omar called on the community to help them arrest culprits disturbing the peace.
My government has invested heavily in adult education It's time we replaced cattle rustling with pens and books.West Pokot Governor John Longyangapo
“These criminals are within our communities. Let's help police officers identify the culprits since the government is committed to nabbing them,” Omar said.
He thanked peace committee members for leading the searches for stolen animals.
He said livestock and lives have been lost on both sides in the past month. He assured residents security officers were on the ground to arrest bandits.
"As a community, we will not defend bandits," West Pokot Governor John Lonyangapuo said. "Police should arrest and prosecute them. We have incurred many losses and we are not ready to lose more."
He urged cattle rustlers to go back to school.
“My government has invested heavily in adult education. I wonder why some people are still engaged in the outdated cultural practice. It's time we need to replace cattle rustling with pens and books,” he said.
He said his government is giving a bursary to every learner and there was no reason to steal cattle.
"We are living in a modern community where cattle rustling is outdated,” the governor said.
Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Alex Tolgos said the two communities have made strides in keeping peace and surrendering illegal guns.
“Let the bandits be arrested, we can’t continue losing lives. We have so many problems and the two communities should be uplifted. We should stop cattle rustling and embrace cash crop farming," he said.
(Edited by V. Graham)