Over 100 families flee after eight burnt to ashes in Turkana raid

A minor was also abducted in the raid by people area chief Kaptan Ekiru suspects are the rustlers who torched the homesteads. The suspects are said to be from Tiaty, Baringo county.

Ekiru said among those burnt to ashes include four children, three women and a man.

He said more than 100 homesteads have been burnt down leaving residents homeless.

“The suspected cattle rustlers from Tiaty raided our village in Kapedo/Napeitom ward in Turkana on Sunday night and burnt eight people in their homesteads,” Ekiru said.

He decried that due to high tension in the region, more than 110 families have been forced to flee their burnt homes for fear of more attacks.

Nasuru Ajikon, a resident of Napeitom village, said for many years, they have experienced cattle rustling but this was a gruesome murder.

“Our people have died a painful death. Nobody deserves to die like that. Bandits raided our kraal at night and torched homesteads. It was a painful night that I would not want to recall…our people were roasted like goats,” she said.

She said the perennial banditry attacks have claimed the lives of their people and livestock leaving them vulnerable.

“We are vulnerable people, our neighbours are not ready for peace. The livestock that we depend on to support our livelihoods have been stolen. The intention of this attack was to kill the whole village. We don’t have livestock in our village, what were they coming for if not to kill us? she posed.

She has urged the government to beef up security in the region to restore calm.

Joyce Eyanae, resident of Napeitom decried that it’s the role of the government to protect them and no one deserves to be killed.

“We have been left to die like rats yet we are in an independent and a peaceful country, where is the government that is supposed to protect us? Eyane posed.

No peace, no election

Turkana women on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest in Lodwar town over the deteriorated security in the county.

Led by Cecila Asinyen, Turkana woman representative candidate, the group have vowed to halt election if the government will not address the insecurity situation in Napeitom Turkana East.

“What have we done wrong to deserve killings…How many people do you want to be killed for the killings to be stopped? People attacked in the village are vulnerable and very innocent, they don’t have livestock and that cannot be stated as cattle rustling.” 

She said if the government will not address insecurity in Turkana, then no need for election in the county.

Asinyen called on the government to flush out the bandits, saying they cannot be discussing the issue of banditry attack time after time.

“If we have done anything wrong to the government, we plead for forgiveness. We cannot be discussing the same matter time after time. If the government is not ready to flush out the bandits, we will move to neighbouring countries including Uganda, Ethiopia and South Sudan to seek refuge because we are tired of losing lives,” she said.

Loima MP Jeremiah Lomurkai, who is also the ODM governor candidate, and Turkana Senator Malachy Ekal have urged the state to address worsening banditry attacks in Turkana East and South ahead of election.

They urged the security apparatus to comb up the region and flush out bandits for calm in the region. 

"Our people have been burnt to ashes. I want to ask the security agencies led by Interior CS Fred Matiang'i to address this issue with immediate effect. We will not be leaders, if our people are being killed every time ... We cannot sit in offices, while our people are being killed by our neighbours" Lomurkai said.

He decried that for many years, Turkana people have been killed by their neighbours and no action has been taken.

"We can't sit down and watch this happening, bandits are killing our people and even security officers who are supposed to protect us. Why is the government not taking any action?"  he posed.

He urged the security agencies to beef up security along the borders for the safety of residents.

"We are giving the government 14 days to address this matter of insecurity," he said.

Ekal said it's sad that the government is watching while Kenyans are killing other Kenyans but no action is being taken.

"It's so sad that our neighbours who are also Kenyans are killing our people in their homes. We are heading to election, the government should deploy enough security to protect citizens ahead of elections." 

"It's the jurisdiction of the government to protect its people. I castigate the banditry attack with the strongest terms possible," he said.

 

 

-Edited by SKanyara

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