Fred Mukinda
6 July 2008
Nairobi — The Sabaot Land Defence Force had established an elaborate intelligence network within the government's security agencies, a military report on the militia has revealed.
It is cited as one of the reasons several raids on SLDF hideouts in Mt Elgon district were unsuccessful though they had been well planned and organised before execution.
The police and even the Kenya Army had on various occasions conducted sting operations only to find that almost all the male adults in Mt Elgon villages had escaped.
Part of the report reads, "It was then realised that the operations had leaked and SLDF operatives had melted into the adjacent villages and others went deep into the forest."
Guarded secret
Military commanders in the district formally claimed victory against the militia last Tuesday and presented the report to ministers George Saitoti (Internal Security) and Yusuf Haji (Defence).
However, the report says that an armoury that was used by the SLDF has not been found three months after the joint operation, which also involved the police.
"The gang's weapon storage locations are mainly a guarded secret and only known by a few personalities," says the report presented by head of the troops in the district, Colonel Stephen Boiywo.
Though 100 rifles previously used by SLDF fighters have been recovered, the soldiers and residents believe the entire weaponry has not been recovered.
Sophisticated weapons, including a bazooka, a rocket-propelled grenade and 11 jumping mines, were also seized.
Such weapons, which the soldiers said had been bought and smuggled in from Uganda, have the ability to bring down an helicopter or demolish an entire military camp. Some of the machine guns recovered can fire bullets that kill targets more than a kilometre away.
Military offensive
To rid the country of this militia group that had since 2006 defied previous forceful attempts by the government, the military report says 980 of its members were arrested and charged in court. Twelve other members of the main group are still at large, 25 have been arrested and four have been killed, including the militia leader Wycliffe Matwakei.
However, some politicians and civil society groups, including the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, have accused the military of having killed more people by torturing them at Kapkota, a makeshift camp they established as their operational base.
Since the military offensive began by bombing targeted hideouts, the report reveals that 47 caves and seven training grounds had been cleared. It goes on to group the SLDF members into four main wings - core and ordinary members, operations, political and cell heads. Cell heads were answerable to the chairman.
The bulk of the membership comprised the "core and ordinary members" who were answerable to the cell chairmen, reveals the military report.
Military operations were precise, with intelligence officers having arrived in Mt Elgon district two months before uniformed troops, helicopter gunships and trucks were deployed. Prior to the attacks, a list of the most wanted SLDF members had also been written down.
Matwakei topped the list and his grid location in the forest was indicated against his name and constantly updated as he moved from one hideout to another. The same was done for his accomplices in the forest.
Those on the most-wanted list played pivotal roles in the militia operations including administering oaths to recruits as well as providing political and security advice.
Law and order
The SLDF's top rank consisted of commanders, armourers, instructors, treasurers, arms dealers and the executioner whose main role was to behead those sentenced by the commanders. The military report proclaimed bringing an end to SLDF atrocities last week.
The report, compiled by the Western Province Security and Intelligence Committee, stated that law and order had been restored.
It suggested that the way forward now is finalising settlement of Chepyuk Scheme Phase III, where the bloody confrontations began, and deploying a military detachment.
In this way, the report ignored demands for the withdrawal of troops by some politicians and human rights organisations who accused the military operatives of torturing innocent residents.
Denied allegations
As the Internal Security and Defence ministers toured parts of Mt Elgon district, they denied the allegations and laid a foundation stone at Panandega, commissioning the construction of a permanent military base there. Mr Haji said that there was a need to have a military base at Mt Elgon, which borders Uganda, just like is done at other international borders. Residents who spoke to the Sunday Nation welcomed the move to sustain military operations.
Residents say the self-styled army was formed by the Soy clan initially to fight the Ndorobo clan in a conflict involving the allocation of land by the government.
However, the gang began to terrorise and kill residents. It would order its victims to pay illegal taxes for services it claimed to provide, and those who defied its orders were summoned for judgement at kangaroo courts. Many sold their livestock or land to pay the sometimes heavy fines.
As the joint security operation began to quash the activities of the SLDF, victims of the gang gained confidence to report the atrocities they had suffered under the militiamen and report suspects. Some of those who came forward had their ears sliced while others had six-inch nails driven into their flesh. Many had bullet wounds and laceration marks on their backs.
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