By JOHN NJAGI
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
About 400 Administration and regular police officers have pitched camp near River Ewaso Nyiro bridge, which divides Isiolo and Samburu districts and is about 200 metres from Archers Post.
Local assistant chief Sebastian Lesinik said the officers were sent to the area to calm tension.
However, four of the officers and a herdsman were killed shortly after they arrived last Thursday.
The officers were responding to an incident in which 800 cattle were stolen in Meru but the raiders sprayed the police vehicle with bullets.
However, Samburu elders claim no animals were stolen and said the information was circulated by politicians from a rival community to portray the Samburu as the aggressors.
Community elder Stanley Lekoloi claimed a local politician had been behind a wave of false reports that had painted the Samburu in a negative light.
However, Eastern provincial commissioner David Jakaiti refuted the claims and said the stolen animals had been returned to their owners.
“We are now working to find lasting peace,” he said.
The PC said the Government would conduct a major operation to mop up illegal firearms, saying their presence was to blame for rising insecurity.
He was speaking at the Isiolo district commissioner’s office after chairing a security meeting. A series of similar meetings will take place from today and in future to find a lasting solution to the cattle rustling menace, he said.
Community rivalry between the Samburu on one hand and the Borana and the Somali on the other has persisted for many decades and is even thought of as a way of accumulating wealth.
However, local leaders are optimistic that through dialogue and the right political climate, the rivalry may be brought to an end.