Nairobi — The National Assembly Committee on Administration and Internal Security and Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wesley Rotich want banditry and cattle rustling to be classified under acts of terrorism to curb the vice and the impunity that has characterized it over the years.
Speaking when they paid a courtesy call on the Governor at his office in Iten town, the Committee chaired by Gabriel Tongoyo (Narok West) said they would recommend that the anti-terrorism law be amended to include banditry in a bid to escalate the war against the decades-long menace.
''We are in the process of compiling our report after today's visit. We have visited the six counties prone to banditry and witnessed firsthand the effects of the decades-long menace. We shall be recommending that banditry be treated as an act of terror to curb impunity,'' Tongoyo said.
In his remarks, Governor Rotich had earlier observed that banditry which was initially regarded as a cultural sport has degenerated into a full-blown criminal activity with many casualties.
He told the MPs that while many security operations had been carried out in the area for years, they had not yielded much, and the vice had only escalated leaving many dead and impoverishing his County residents.
''Chair, many people have in the past regarded banditry as a cultural sport. It has however resulted to many deaths, more than terrorism has done. Why would Parliament not classify it as an act of terrorism yet it has the same impact?'' Governor Rotich wondered.
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He lauded the Committee for taking the initiative to get to the root cause of increased insecurity in the region and gave his commitment to support any Parliamentary resolutions geared towards building peaceful coexistence among communities living in the Northrift Region.
The County boss called for affirmative action to enhance literacy levels within the areas prone to cattle rustling as a means to systematically eliminate the practice from the Region.
He noted that efforts to support education initiatives in West-Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet had yielded fruits leading to a significant decrease in the number of young people who want to join the trade.
Earlier while meeting the Deputy County Commissioner John Chirchir, the Committee learned that the ongoing Operation Komesha Uhalifu had reduced banditry and rustling activities in the area. He cited the flourishing of economic activities along the Kerio Valley and Kolowa market following the coexistence of the Marakwet and Pokot Communities as a sign of an improved security situation.
Chirchir however cited the rugged terrain, inadequate strength of personnel in Police posts and camps, inadequate resources for the operation, and delayed payment of Police reservists as among the challenges experienced by the county security team in their efforts to restore peace and security
Others were the protection of criminals by the Communities, the tendency of residents to exaggerate the number of stolen livestock hampering recovery, and the unwillingness of communities to identify stolen livestock within their locality.
The Committee is on a fact-finding mission on the security situation in the county and is also set to visit the hotspots of Arror and Tot.
