Armed Pokot militiamen holding three police camps and GSU hostage

By Cyrus Ombati and Lucas ngasike

More police officers have been sent to fight armed  Pokot militiamen who are holding three police camps including that of GSU hostage in Turkana County.

This was after the gangs engaged the police in a fierce exchange since Wednesday.

And following the incident police bosses in Nairobi have directed the neighbouring divisions to send reinforcements to Logoron village to rescue their colleagues.

The Pokot militia had denied police access to Lorogon village where a number of Turkanas are under siege and said to be suffering and in need of among others food.

Official said the problem started Wednesday when Turkana South OCPD Richard Kipsang was leading a team of officers drawn from the regular police, Antistock Theft Unit (ASTU) and the Administration Police (AP) from Kainuk police station to the Turkwel Gate within Lorogon area when they met at a group of about 300 heavily armed Pokot youths.

An attempt by Rift Valley Regional police coordinator Joel Kitili to land in the area aboard a helicopter were thwarted by the gunmen who threatened to shoot it down. He had to fly back and seek more land troops.

He intended to land there to negotiate the standoff.

Police said the group barricaded the road and refused to allow police access to Lorogon, claiming the area was under the jurisdiction of the  Pokot and not Turkana.

The areas neighbour but the affected is under Turkana.

Police said as the team was withdrawing, they came under attack from another armed group that had laid ambush along the way.

This prompted local leaders to intervene and allowed the officers to continue with their mission to help the residents of Lorogon, mostly members of Turkana ethnic group who are trapped there.

But the siege continued later on.

The two communities have been fighting over pasture and land.

Police boss David Kimaiyo said they addressing the problem and that more officers had been dispatched there.

"We are aware and we have sent more personnel to know what the problem is. We are informed the militia are heavily armed," he said.