ELGEYO-MARAKWET governor-elect Alex Tolgos has told multi-national companies involved in timber harvesting in the county that area residents deserve a chance to harvest the resources.

Tolgos said locals should get a chance to create em- ployment opportunities for scores of youth who have bomet A county represent- ative candidate for Silibwet township ward has filed a petition seeking to be de- clared winner of the March 4 election.

Peter Kipkurui Langat filed the petition yesterday after the gazetting of URP's Robert Kipkirui Metet as winner of the polls. Langat ran for the seat on a Ford People ticket. samburu west MP-elect Lati Leleti yesterday said the first priority for Sam- buru new leaders should be to address insecurity.

The MP said the govern- ment should secure the border between Pokot and Samburu and deal with cattle rustling. "We must ensure people displaced due to military intervention return home.

" International groups and NGOs which have been supporting peace and rec- onciliation activates in Rift Valley will remain in the region to continue with the process.

Some of them will however fund churches and community bases organi- zations to implement the peace initiatives. The groups which are to remain include the USAid, Mercy Corps and Inter- national Organisation of Migration (IOM) which have been funding most of the peace and youth pro- grammes in the region.

BY NICHOLAS WAMALWA Ward poll loser files petition MP's pledge on security BY MATHEWS NDANYI Trans Nzoia wants lower seed prices briefs no source of income. "Locals who have been custodians of forests have in the past been given a raw deal when it comes to forest harvesting.

What we want is for all stakehold- ers to benefit from the resources," said Tolgos. Majority of saw mills which had been creating employment opportunities were shut down more than 10 years ago.

"I will not allow multina- tional companies to enjoy local resources alone at the expence of the surrounding community," said Tolgos. Tolgos' warning comes in the wake of conflicts between residents and the multinational firms over the harvest of trees in public forests.

At one point, hundreds of residents blocked lorries contracted by Raiplywood from going yo Kaptagat forest to ferry logs last year, forcing police to intervene.

The governor-elect was accompnied by a former Keiyo county chairman Simeon Chepseba and Knut branch executive secretary Barnabas Lagat. The leaders accused the Kenya Forestry Service of giving the company exclu- sive right to harvest trees.