Erick Ngobilo
2 November 2009
Nairobi — More than 1,200 guns and 1,500 rounds of ammunition have been recovered in Mt Elgon District since the start of a campaign to restore peace and stability.
More than 600 former Sabaot Land Defence Force (SLDF) youths and women have also come out to seek forgiveness and reconciliation from the community and the local administration.
Kopsiro district officer Silvester Mwangulu attributed this to the peace seminars being held in the region.
Speaking during such a seminar in his division, he appealed to those who were still holding illegal firearms and other weapons to surrender them.
"At the end of the amnesty, we shall carry out a crackdown and if we find you holding one, you shall be charged in court," he warned.
The officer also cautioned those who had started moving to Phase Two of the disputed Chebyuk settlement scheme to leave before they spark new tensions.
According to Mr Albinas Muga, the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission director who has been coordinating the peace efforts, the community now realised the value of living peacefully together.
He said a number of meetings had been held with several leaders to ensure peace and stability in the region.
Mr Muga said most former SLDF supporters who had repented and sought forgiveness had been integrated back into society.
"We want Mt Elgon to be the way it was years back," he said.
Mr Joel Olweny, a consultant in community development and conflict resolution who has been working in the area since 2005, said there had been considerable change in attitude since the start of the initiative.
Mr Martin Maasai, a former SLDF youth, left the seminar gathering in tears when he narrated how he joined the SLDF.
He said he was escaping the violence with his brothers when he met members of the SLDF on Mount Elgon.
"They asked me to choose between working with them or death. I chose to work with them. I was assigned the role of spying on the police and reporting to the commander," he said.
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