![Former IG of police David Kimaiyo and former Marakwet West MP Francis Mutwol [left] in Kerio Valley in January 2017. /STEPHEN RUTTO](http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/K3AG_360Rx5tlOJk6gE1oj25SgLlTOUhQBNWxko8QUY1llTbDXhg3rsiF8gA06j08GiY0QRLPQ5Zut8OFEAF6Tq2DXU=s512)
Former IG of police David Kimaiyo has called for urgent measures to restore calm on the West Pokot/Elgeyo Marakwet border in Kerio Valley.
Kimaiyo, a resident of the troubled Valley said tension is high in the area, noting that students and teachers are not going to schools.
The former police chief told Marakwet and Pokot leaders to organize for dialogue and stop issuing press statements over the runaway insecurity.
“Leaders from the region should stop issuing statements on TV and start visiting their backyards to calm their people,” Kimaiyo said on Thursday.
Read:
He continued: “Let us urgently take action because even civil servants are not going to work.”
He said hundreds of innocent locals have fled the Kerio Valley region to seek refuge in escarpments.
Kimaiyo observed that the frequent fights in the area have been escalated by the failure by state agencies to recover stolen animals that have fueled revenge attacks.
“As a resident of the affected area, I can tell that tension is high and it may spread to other peaceful areas if urgent steps are not taken to restore calm,” he said.
“There is no other solutions to realise peace unless dialogue. Even disarmament will not help,” he added.
He said youth from the warring communities are over-relying on livestock, urging the state to seek alternative livelihoods for the youth to stem cattle theft.
Kimaiyo lost at least 30 goats when bandits raided his Tot home in December 2016.
His remarks come in the wake of the killing of one Pokot herder by suspected Marakwet herder on the border of the two counties on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Elgeyo Marakwet Senator and Senate majority leader Kipchumba Murkomen convened a meeting with MPs from the two counties in Nairobi and promised to begin series of peace meetings starting this weekend.
“I condemn the recent attacks that have led to the deaths of innocent. We will stand together until this disease becomes a thing of the past,” Murkomen said.
Meanwhile, West Pokot Governor John Lonyangapuo has dismissed claims by a section Marakwet professionals that he is sponsoring retaliatory attacks following deadly attacks that led to the killing of five people on Friday last week.
Lonyangapuo described the remarks as foolish, saying:”I am not like those hatemongers. God forgive them.”
Also read: