• Drought has ravaged the water sources, pasture pastoralists depend on for survival
• Food relief has been issued to hunger victims and generator fuelled to pump water
Image: HESBORN ETYANG
Prolonged drought on the Kenya-South Sudan border is fuelling banditry attacks, the Turkana government has said.
Eight people have been killed, two injured and more than 4,000 livestock stolen since December last year.
Disaster Management executive Charles Lokioto said drought forces herders to trek for kilometres in search of water and pastures. Some cross the border to South Sudan with their livestock.
He said the Toposa community in South Sudan in turn looks for water and pastures in Turkana, leading to conflict.
"The competition for available resources by the Turkana and Toposa from South Sudan fuels cattle rustling," he said.
Areas hit by drought include Kapetadie in Nanam ward. The area is dry, animals are emaciated and people are traversing kilometres in search of water and pastures.
"Even elephants have died after losing food and water,” Lokioto said.
He said as part of disaster response, they are distributing food stuff to the hunger victims, condoling those who lost their livestock to rustlers and providing fuel for the generator to pump water.
Stephen Ekuwom, a resident of Kapetadie, said drought has ravaged all nearby water sources, and now they are forced to trek more than 30km in search of water for domestic use and their animals.
He said they are also forced to traverse to the insecure region in South Sudan to look for water and pastures, where some have been killed and animals stolen.
"The drought is devastating, the situation is getting worse day by day. We depend on our animals to support our livelihoods but drought and rustlers are claiming them," Ekuwom said.
"We are being attacked by suspected Toposa bandits from South Sudan, who raid our region and take our animals."
Ekuwom has appealed for the government and humanitarian agencies to supply them with relief food and restocking of livestock to cushion them from the effects of drought.
Samuel Ekutan, a resident of Kapetadie, urged the county government to continue supplying them with relief food and water to prevent them from crossing the border to South Sudan to curb cattle rustling.
“We have lost our loved ones because of cattle rustling driven by drought. All water resources have dried up in our region. If the government wants to protect our lives and animals, it should solve the water issues and food security in our region," he said.
In February, Turkana Governor Josphat Nanok condemned the banditry attacks.
“Over the last one month, I have noted with alarm the rising cases of insecurity, with frequent bandit and cattle rustling attacks. This requires an immediate response from the national government to prevent the situation from worsening,” he said.
The governor said since December last year, a series of bandit attacks have been reported in Turkana West along the border with Uganda and South Sudan.
“In the latest attack which happened on Tuesday February 1, 2022, four people were killed and two injured in Kapetadie, Nanam ward, by suspected Toposa bandits,” he said.
“In Kibish subcounty, an attack by suspected Toposa bandits from South Sudan left one Turkana resident dead and another injured in Natapar kraal,” he said.
He urged the national security agencies to step up efforts and clamp down the rising cases of banditry to prevent further loss of innocent lives and property, and ensure peace gains are made in Turkana, Baringo, West Pokot counties and Ethiopia, Uganda and South Sudan borders.