TOROITICH: Introduce other sources of livelihood to end Kerio banditry

To many people, especially those who have scant information about the persistent strife in the North Rift, banditry and gun culture has infiltrated the society.

The genesis of the clashes has been greatly attributed to the availability of guns in the hands of the civilians and mostly, the lack of a sustainable source of livelihood, especially in the greater Kerio Valley.

Apart from the deployment of security forces to flush out bandits, the other approach to holistically douse the vice has been neglected.

Instead of heavy security operations in the area, has the concerned ministry thought of changing the lives of the inhabitants of the vast Kerio Valley?

Has the Ministry of Agriculture thought of harnessing the agriculturally-rich Kerio valley?

Among the plans to alleviate the menace is to provide an alternative source of livelihoods to the communities to change their fighting culture that has taken root from time immemorial.

Social and behavioural change is usually a process but persistent campaigns across the valley greatly avert the violent conflicts witnessed.

It is disheartening that Kerio Valley still bleeds with unending banditry, yet this nation has the wherewithal to forestall it.

Our politics is now irrevocably turning a pot of poisoned chalice fermented with tribal mint and aggressive nature as electioneering draws nigh.

Our politicians have serenaded us into dangerous indulgence with this chalice and are even inept to provide an alternative source of livelihoods to the suffering populace in Kerio Valley.

The NGOs and other non-state actors have been conjoined into this unholy choir of our people who have suffered in Kerio Valley, yet little has been done by them to deter the crisis.

Our ethnic enclave is now the vantage point from which we perceive and react towards any illocution whatsoever.

We wait with bated breath to fire unutterable salvos to defend our tribal hegemony and ideology and fail to formulate policies to give our people living in the vast Kerio valley belt.

Kerio Valley is bleeding.

Our people are on weekly basis losing lives and property.

Even though the citizens and their leaders have been working hard in pursuit of peace, the reality is that some officials have abdicated their duties and left the people at the mercy of bandits.

The state has made numerous unfulfilled promises and abruptly ceased from changing the lives of the conflict-ridden populace.

The region is generally agricultural-friendly and topographically fit for farming.

Instead of deploying security apparatus, why would the government deploy agricultural extension officers, veterinary officers and partner with NGOs to train the local communities on the favourable agricultural methods of farming?

By so doing, the residents of Kerio Valley would adopt new methods of agriculture and shall by no means enlighten them to abscond the gun culture and adopt agriculture.

Peacekeeping initiatives have proved plausible but not so much compared to the sustainable agricultural practices and educational campaigns that would have a longitudinal impact on the future of the children and the population living in Kerio Valley.

It can't be that the country with widely acclaimed military competence and finesse in Africa are incapacitated to deal with bandits.

The pockets that grow fat by this infamous thuggery should be exposed as soon as yesterday.

It can't be for the love of livestock that they smother lives at the roaring of the gun.

Traditional rustling respected human life, especially children and women. But what we have today is sadistic. The masterminds derive pleasure by killing.

 The silence of the concerned ministry is loud and sickening.

Communication practitioner who comments on topical issues

Edited by Kiilu Damaris