Silence engulfs the deserted home of the mzee Tukei Ng'uriangiro, 70, who died of hunger-related illness at Kokwo-Toto village in Tiaty, Baringo in January.
The scorching temperatures in the remotest semi-arid area can easily boil an egg, an indication of deadly drought and hunger due to failure of enough rainfall since May last year.
"Before he died, mzee Ng'uriangiro had 50 cows he depended upon as his only livelihood before 40 of them died of hunger," Riongo resident Rutto Ng'oriamatan said on Tuesday.
The body of the old man was buried in a shallow grave, heaped with stones and shrubs within his abandoned, rickety manyatta structures littered with carcasses and skeletons of livestock.
Ng'oriamatan said soon after he lost his cows due to the harsh drought, Mzee Ng'uriangiro developed hunger-related health complications and died.
His son, Limo, survived, took the remaining cows and drove them to neighbouring Samburu and Laikipia counties in search of water and pasture, Ng'oriamatan said.
He said apart from Ng'uriangiroso, far more than 200 Pokot families stricken by drought and hunger have migrated from hard-hit areas.
They settled in Kolowa, Akwichatis, Nasorot, Paka Hills, Silale, Arabal, Mochongoi, Chepkesin, Ngaratuko and areas in Tiaty, Baringo South and Baringo North, 20km away.
They settled in dangerous places inhabited by armed bandits who allegedly attack, kill and displace the innocent people.
"The majority of them are currently living in other countries, we don't know if or when they will return,"Ng'oriamatan said.
Baringo county is inhabited by the major warring Tugen, Pokot and the Ilchamus pastoral communities in the volatile Baringo North, Tiaty and Baringo South subcounties, respectively.
NO FOOD, NO DAWA
Another Riongo resident, young Mauzo Loringilim said hunger-striken Ng'uriangiro would not have died had the government rushed in to supply relief food in time.
He cited inefficiency and lack of drugs at Riongo dispensary where only one nurse called Sapan Limo was earlier spotted by the Star, treating patients including children under thorny acacia tree.
"We can't recall the last time we received relief food supplies. The situation got worse after the government marked Tiaty a haven of bandits and a dangerous zone," Loringilim said.
More than 100 people have been killed in a year, thousands of livestock stolen and driven away by bandits towards Tiaty.
They should keep on eating the meat of their stolen livestock until they agree to identify and produce the notorious armed bandits
Former county commissioner Henry Wafula announced an end to relief food supplies to feed the hunger victims in the area because of danger.
He banned all open-air markets and movements by residents, exposing them to starvation.
"They should keep on eating the meat of their stolen livestock until they agree to identify and produce the notorious armed bandits," he said.
But the National Drought Management Authority county coordinator Bethwel Wafula said in the process, mostly innocent people, especially children, women and the elderly, have been suffering in the lockdown.
"The entire place is locked, even humanitarian agencies were barred from visiting the place to ascertain the situation. We cannot even tell how many people have died of hunger or gunshots," Wafula said.
He expressed concern over dire malnutrition especially among newborn children and those younger than five ears. He said most of them died prematurely due to hunger.
RESTOCKING?
Wafula said due the many livestock lost during the drought, the bandits were taking over villages, killing people and stealing animals in the name of restocking.
Even MP William Kamket was earlier quoted as saying, "My Pokot people are not thieves. They are just restocking their animals that died in the drought."
Ng'inyang resident Joseph Lorus appealed to the government to urgently supply clean water, relief food and medicine.
Lorus further attributed the deep-rooted banditry and cattle rustling to dominant retrogressive traditional cultures of FGM and early marriage among young girls and boys.
"Most of the boys don't go to school or just drop out to go for raids to steal animals from the neighbouring communities to pay marriage dowry," Lorus said.
He added that bandits are relatively few, while most residents are peaceful.
He said the violence has slowed development, water is scarce, health facilities inadequate, insufficient health facilities, poor roads, no churches, few and distant school, many falling apart.
BANDIT VICTIMS
Bandit victims in Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, Samburu Turkana, Laikipia and West Pokot counties are still crying over unresolved insecurity.
Banditry is persistent, people are murdered, maimed, displaced and dispossessed.
"For many years since the 1980s our people have had sleepless nights. We have lost loved ones. We cannot predict when or where the bandits will strike next," Baringo North's Chemoe village resident Richard Chepchomei said on Tuesday.
In the latest incident, he said, young George Chebor from Ng'aratuko village, Baringo North, was shot dead last Wednesday while accompanying fellow villagers to recover his stolen cows. He was buried on Saturday.
The murder occurred barely a week after his cousin-brother Jacob Kiptoitoi Kimosop was killed, and 341 head of cattle were stolen in the same area.
On Wednesday last week, university student Vincent Kiptoo, 18, and Stephen Kiptek, 17, a Form 4 leaver, were killed without provocation at Chebinginy village near Arabal, Baringo South.
"We only survive by the mercies of God after the bandits took away the lives of our innocent people, swept away all the livestock we had and now being dumped and broke," Chipchomei said.
Last week County Commissioner Abdirisak Jaldesa said enough security officers have been deployed and are currently pursuing the bandits to recover the stolen animals.
"So far we are yet to recover the livestock but we are still in hot pursuit" he said calling upon residents to maintain calm as the government works to deal with the bandit and help restore peace.
He said the situation shall soon be addressed and the displaced victims will be resettled once and for all.
(Edited by V. Graham)
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