• Commissioner Jaldesa said illiteracy, FGM, early marriage contribute to cattle theft and banditry.
• More schools and development badly needed to change mindset and provide jobs and economic opportunities.
High levels of illiteracy, poverty and early marriage are to blame for fuelling perennial banditry and cattle rustling in Tiaty, Baringo county.
Leaders and residents have expressed hope the incoming administration of President-elect William Ruto will help develop the area, improve education and fight banditry, as he has promised.
Tiaty, inhabited by Pokots, is notorious for cattle theft and violence. It is also stricken by drought and faces a food and water shortage.
County commissioner Abdirizak Jaldesa told a security meeting on Tuesday that illiteracy means young people are not qualified for regular employment. They resort to cattle theft for income and dowry.
Insecurity caused by banditry and cattle theft discourages investment and economic development that would mean jobs for them, he said.
Jaldesa also attributed the problem of cattle rustling to female genital mutilation and early marriage.
A girl is not considered marriageable until she is 'cut' and early marriages are increasing because poor families need dowry, mostly cattle.
“Tiaty is a common denominator of insecurity currently experienced in neighbouring Turkana, Elgeyo Marakwet, Samburu and Laikipia counties and in Kerio Valley,” Jaldesa said.
Once the many bandits from Tiaty are handled or reformed, the pastoral communities in neighbouring counties will become peaceful, he said.
Bandits believed to come from Tiaty have been accused of killing hundreds of people, maiming, displacing and stealing thousands of heads of livestock for more than four decades.
The commissioner, who has been in office for just eight months, addressed key parties at a security meeting facilitated by the National Church Council of Kenya at Kampi ya Samaki hotel in Baringo North.
Pokot elder Canon Christopher Chochoi from Ng’inyang in Tiaty agreed with Jaldesa. He said Pokots are the most notorious for banditry and animals theft.
“I envy the sanity in neighboring communities like Tugens who cannot steal someone's property fearing 'elat' or thunder," he said.
It's necessary to urgently open security roads, set up more schools and encourage families to send children to school in TiatyAbirizak Jaldesa
"Today someone can even tie his goat to a tree in Marigat town and you find it still there. I wish my Pokot people would emulate the same godly behaviour," the canon said.
The forum brought together chiefs, church leaders, education officials and security officials. Tiaty West deputy county commissioner Jackton Orieny and his Tiaty East counterpart Josiah Odongo were present.
Jaldesa said his security team has reduced banditry and called on the incoming administration to help develop the region.
“Therefore, it's necessary to urgently open up security roads, establish more schools and encourage families to send their children to school in Tiaty," he said.
That's the only way to end backward practices of rustling, banditry, early marriage and FGM, he said.
The administrator said he has already instructed the chiefs to identify the culprits to bring them to book and mobilise parents to take their children to school.
“We are already making some inroads to mark and profile the individual armed bandits who have been destabilising residents over the years,” Jaldesa said.
He said the area is so large that it's difficult to catch up with all criminals in a swoop.
He said security officers are committed to recovering all the stolen animals. “Soon insecurity shall be a thing of the past.” he said.
Jaldesa said banditry has been a menace since 1977.
He said successive Presidents Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta have been struggling to fight banditry for 45 years, without success.
The commission expressed hope President-elect Ruto will turn the situation around and end banditry and cattle theft, as he has promised.
"Surely we cannot attract investors to our country and counties if to date we are still struggling with insecurity," Jaldesa said.
He encouraged chiefs to step up the fight against alcohol abuse and urged residents not to cut trees for charcoal burning.
Rear fewer livestock for better livelihoods
NCCK representative urged pastoralists to reduce the number of livestock they rear and adopt value-addition agriculture
“The effects of climate change like drought and flooding are causing great hardship," he said.
NCCK representative, Anglican Church Bishop of Baringo diocese Musa Kamuren called for a multi-sectoral approach to fight and end banditry.
“Banditry is not difficult to finish if the political class, clergy and the professionals combine efforts to support security agencies," he said.
He urged pastoralists to reduce the number of livestock they rear and adopt value-addition agriculture.
“One can comfortably own two or five good cattle yielding extra production like meat or milk, more than 20 indigenous animals combined,” he said.
The bishop also said reducing the number of livestock will reduce labour, time and energy spent looking for water and pasture.
“Our counties are rich in resources. Let us embrace peace and exploit them to create wealth," Kamuren said.
(Edited by V. Graham)