Robert Wanyonyi
19 March 2008
Nairobi — An interview by Sabaot Land Defence Force (SLDF) leader with a local FM station threw security operations in Mt Elgon into high alert.
Security officers conducting the operation were taken aback by the phone interview Mr John Kanai gave to West FM, a radio station that covers Western and North Rift regions.
Officers went to the radio station offices in Bungoma town to get his number but they were told the call was made from a concealed number.
In the interview, Kanai accused the Government of bombing innocent civilians.
"Hao watu wanatafuta kile hawawezi kuona. Kwa nini wanaumiza raia? (The security officers are looking for something they cannot find. Why are they hurting civilians?") he asked.
Kanai, who has been on the police 'most wanted' list, also accused the Government of using unconventional methods in search operations.
He lamented that security officers were violating human rights in the hunt for militia members.
The self-styled SLDF leader called for a halt to the military operation to allow elders to continue with the peace process initiated early in the year, which he said had seen normalcy return to the troubled district.
"People had started returning to their farms to prepare for the planting season. Mt Elgon residents were finally recognising one another as brothers and sisters," he added.
The interview sparked a fresh security operation as some officers extended searches in villages beyond the district while others combed caves deep in Mt Elgon Forest.
Speaking on telephone to The Standard, Mt Elgon District CID chief, Mr Seif Mbaruk, appealed to residents to volunteer information on the whereabouts of the SLDF leader.
He assured residents that any information they volunteered would be treated as confidential.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The East African Standard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
