Kraal elders from Tiaty and Turkana East hot spot areas have signed a fresh peace accord to end decades –long conflict.
The new Orwa peace accord by the two warring communities of Pokot and Turkana was brokered by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission[ NCIC] in partnership with Inter peace Organization after the elders came to bench mark on peace building from their Pokot and Turkana Counterparts along Turkwel belt along the West Pokot and Turkana border which has witnessed peace for the last three years.
This is after the two communities decided to bury the hatchet, ending cattle rustling and banditry attacks that had lasted for decades.
The elders drawn from Lomelo,Achola ,Ng’ilukia,Amuge ,Kapedo,Lokwamosingi,Kapedo,Lokor,Kapetetei,Apeito,Kulal,Tirioko,Lochakula remote villages in Tiaty and Turkana Counties in a three day interactive session made resolutions to end hostilities, banditry, cattle rustling and create grazing patterns through joint community dialogues and form grazing committees to negotiate on grazing in the region.
The new peace deal was witnessed by West Pokot Governor Prof John Lonyangapuo and Samburu Deputy Governor Mr Julius Lesoto follows a series of dialogues spearheaded by leaders from the two warring communities.
The Orwa area meeting brought together elders and leaders from West Pokot, Turkana, Baringo and Samburu in a bid to promote peaceful coexistence among the warring communities in the region.
The elders have come up with a 60 member peace committee and will spear head peace by conducting peace caravans in the region.
Speaking during the meeting at Orwa, an elder from Turkana Ambassador Joseph Achuka said that elders resolved to be doing an immediate follow up of stolen livestock.
“We shall immediately respond to any attack not a day after,” said Ambassador Achuka.
He said that they will be grazing boundaries and fines will be imposed on those found stealing livestock.
“We shall have one water point for animals from both communities. Stolen animals will be returned to owners without changing and increasing the number and forgiven unconditionally,”he said.
Ambassador Achuka observed that they will not allow politicians to incite residents.
‘Any inciter will be endangering his political life. They stop inciting residents on land matters,’he said.
He said that they are following up on the Monday attack at Napeitum area where one person was injured and 60 goats driven away by bandits.
Amb. Achuka pointed out that they have learned a lot from reformed warriors who were notorious at the Turkwel belt like Mr Loriono, Lonyangamulelia and Loripo who are now engaged in peace building.
“We shall engage reformed warriors because they are now pro peace people. Right now they can use the police vehicle,” he said.
He said that they are looking for the root cause of insecurity for development to be realized in the area.
“Let’s forget the past, killing is bad and against the bible,” he said.
Rev Musa Makilatong from Tiaty in Baringo County said that peace elders need to be motivated with airtime for them to give out information on any attack.
He said that they resolved to have free interactions, stop killings of innocent people and ceasefire on use of illegal firearms.
“Killing of animals should be stopped .We need an improved infrastructure and good network. We should avoid stopping government projects and attacking vehicles,”he said.
He added that as elders, they will strengthen peace committees to enable them move freely to all places.
“No place will be a no go zone. We need formation of chief’s forums for intelligence,”he said
He noted that they will have regular meetings to be attended by leaders.
“We need to have a series of meetings by youths in the region,”he said.
He said that there is need to open security roads in Kapedo,Tiaty and Lomelo to end ambushes.
West Pokot Governor Prof John Lonyangapuo said that leaders in the two regions have made a bold step to bring conflict to an end.
“A declaration was made to transform from the region of cattle rustling and death to a haven of peace and development,” said Prof Lonyangapuo.
Governor Lonyangapuo , described it as a milestone, adding that it would be extended to other areas adding that there will be no turning back on efforts to unite the warring communities.
“The Turkwel belt is now calm after we employed good strategies .We laud NCIC for moving from big hotels to villages where the peace solution is. We have good meat in the region,”he said.
Prof Lonyangapuo said that they don’t want leaders to politicize security issues.
“There are remote areas where residents have never even seen a bicycle or motorbike, they think it is something dropped from heaven,”he said.
Samburu County Deputy Governor Mr Julius Lesoto said that pastoralists need peace because they were marginalized in development and education .
“Devolution has worked and we now have resources in the grass roots.,”he said.
He said that they need to remove tag brands to them as bandits.
“The same cattle stolen in Samburu goes to Pokot and again stolen to Marakwet then Turkana back to Samburu .No no one has gotten rich from stealing cattle ,”he said.
Mr Lesoto noted that they will work together with all governors from the region to bring peace to help spur development.
“We need unity .We now have resources like oil and minerals,”he said.