Grace Matsiko
21 August 2008
Kampala — Kenyan pastoralists are feared to have been killed in a confrontation with the UPDF along the border, Kenya's Labour Minister John Munyes has claimed.
The claim, however, has been roundly denied by the to UPDF.
Mr Munyes said reports indicated that the UPDF had ambushed scores of Turkana herders who had crossed into Uganda in search of water and pasture for their livestock and killed a number of them.
"The Ugandan army bombed the herders in a bid to flush them out. The bombing and shooting has been going on for last the 24 hours," an angry Munyes told Daily Nation on Sunday.
Mr Munyes, who is also the Turkana North MP, however said it was not clear how many people had been killed or injured as the UPDF had blocked people from reaching the area, 10km inside Uganda.
But the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, said on Tuesday he was not aware of any bombings by the UPDF or the army having been in contact with any group from Kenya.
"Bombing Kenyans for what? That's a rumour and as of now we are not using any helicopter," Gen. Aronda said.
But the military chief said, if the Kenyan cattle rustlers entered Uganda with guns, the UPDF would be compelled to fight them to stop harm to Ugandans.
UPDF 3rd Division spokesman Henry Obbo said the allegations by the Kenyan minister were surprising because the Uganda-Kenya joint security committee has not received such reports.
"We should expect the Kenyan army to complain not a politician because we monitor movement of cattle rustlers jointly," he said adding that the UPDF has not had any operation by a gunship of late.
Mr Munyes said 5,000 Turkana herdsmen crossed to Uganda two months ago due to persistent drought in Kenya but were asked to leave by the UPDF.
"I will fly to Kakuma and then drive for five hours to the area to get first hand information," Mr Munyes said.
Kenya and Ugandan authorities had scheduled a meeting for July 30 to resolve the issue but it never took place.
Mr Munyes said Kenya's High Commissioner Japheth Getugi was asked to arrange for another meeting and he was to accompany four other ministers to Kampala next week.
The team will come to further negotiate for the herders to be allowed in the country until the situation improves in Turkana.
"We thought we would negotiate under the spirit of the East Africa Community," Mr Munyes said.
"Some of the herders are returning as it has started raining in Turkana," he added.
Additional reporting by Lucas Barasa, Benard Kwalia and Dennis Odunga, (DailyMonitor correspondents in Nairobi)
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