25 October 2009
Nairobi — Disarming communities living along international borders will not address conflicts pitting pastoralists' living along the Kenya-Ethiopia and Kenya-Uganda borders.
A peace lobby group working with pastoralists said it will be suicidal to disarm communities threatened by armed communities from neighbouring countries without guaranteeing them security.
Mr Alexander Losikiria, the project Coordinator of Adakar Peace and Development Initiative (APEDI) said the government should permanently station both the military and provincial administrators at its borders.
The warning comes as Rift Valley Provincial Commissioner Osman Warfa said the disarmament would start soon in the province and be replaced with education.
Kenya has stepped up security near its border with Sudan after reports of clashes between police and Toposa pastoralists at Nadapal area in Turkana.
Mr Losikiria further said government officers and security personnel manning the borders should check on proliferation of small arms, which have been blamed for escalating insecurity cases in the country.
APEDI is involved in peace, human security and development between the Turkana and the Toposa of Southern Sudan.
"It's within the military mandate to guard its boundaries and moving essential government services like immigration departments," said Mr Losikiria.
He said stationing the officers strategically at the border points will improve security of the residents living along the border and emerging business opportunities will reduce the insecurity menace amongst pastoralist communities by a half.
"You cannot disarm a community sharing resources with one that is armed. When they are attacked they will have no where to turn to given that security personnel working in the area are few," said the coordinator.
The disarmament, he said will only control internal crimes but will leave the communities susceptible to regular attacks by armed raiders from neighbouring countries.
"It will only be prudent for the government to advocate for disarmament after establishing significant presence along its borders especially at areas considered volatile due to consistent insurgency," said Mr Losikiria.
He said disarmament, like democracy, was a good principle but must be cautiously executed for it to benefit the pastoralist communities especially those bordering unstable countries.
Mr Warfa said the government intended to engage youths by keeping them busy in school as opposed to being lured into cattle rustling and banditry.
He observed that the vice was detrimental to government's concerted efforts to attract sustainable investment in the region.
Recently, President Kibaki ordered that illegal guns be surrendered to the government, saying they were to blame for a spate of crimes in the country.
Pastoralist communities have accused the government of taking too long to find a lasting solution to insecurity cases facing them.
They said there was upsurge of crime in their communities because the government had failed to economically empower them so that they can stop over-relying on livestock.
Most of the conflicts amongst the communities arose due to the scramble for water and pasture, which was limited especially during the dry seasons of the year.
"We need alternative sources of income if the government is keen to end insecurity amongst our people," said Samuel Olenaso.
They accused the government of being reactive as opposed to proactive as it only waited for a crisis before swinging into action.
"For how long will our government wait for crimes that they could have avoided to be committed before they act. The pastoralists have remained a forgotten lot for as long as it takes," said Mr Olenaso.
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