Some 32 Kenyans will have to spend 20 years in a Ugandan jail after being found in possession of firearms and ammunition illegally.
The Kenyans were arraigned Wednesday in a Ugandan Court-martial.
The court's 3rd Division Chairman, Col Benard Tuhame sentenced the Kenyans on their own plea of guilty.
“The 32, residents of Orum in Lodwar were arrested on April 8 following an operation by Uganda’s People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and police at Lokiriaut, Nadunget where 31 guns and 752 rounds of ammunition were recovered from Turkana pastoralists in Moroto District,” Daily Monitor reports.
According to Section 119 of the UPDF Act, any person found with weapons, ammunition or equipment that is a monopoly of the armed forces will be subject to Military Law and tried by the Court Martial.
In an earlier interview with Daily Monitor, UPDF 3rd Division commander Joseph Balikuddembe said about 129 suspects were arrested in the operation.
The criminal files for the 32 suspects, he said, were ready by Tuesday for prosecution.
Also recovered in the operation were 19 bows and arrows.
“It was a well-executed operation after intelligence leads indicated that the kraal in the village owned by the Turkana pastoralists was a hideout for guns,” he said.
He added that one UPDF soldier was injured in the ensuing exchange with the warriors.
“Joint security forces minimised as much as possible the number of casualties despite the heavy crossfire that injured five warriors, one UPDF soldier… One warrior was put out of action as he tried to flee the scene with a gun,” he stated.
Turkana pastoralists have been crossing to the Moroto area in Uganda in search of pasture and water for their animals.
Last month, joint security forces flashed hundreds of Turkana pastoralists with their thousands of livestock.
This is after they allegedly killed three geologists and two UPDF soldiers who had gone to pick soil samples in Lokisilei village in Lotisan Sub County.
Until then, Uganda vowed not to allow the Turkana pastoralists back to the area until Kenya handed over the suspects who killed the geologists and the two soldiers.
Over years, Karamoja and Turkana have been a hub of illegal guns which are ferried in through the porous borders of Kenya, Uganda, Sudan and Somalia.
