Services shut at clash-torn West Pokot-Turkana border

By WILBERFORCE NETYA

Turkwel, Kenya: Residents of Turkwel at the border of West Pokot and Turkana counties have begun to bear the brunt of the conflict that has rocked the region in the last one week.

Pokot Central OCPD Nicholas Musilu said transport has been disrupted along the Kapenguria-Lodwar highway and all vehicles plying the route have to be escorted by police from Marich police station in West Pokot to Kainuk in Turkana County.

He pointed out that all drivers have been advised to travel during the day and that those who arrive late in the evening should camp at Marich police station to proceed with their journeys the following day.

Turkwel dispensary in the conflict-prone region has been shut as medics at the facility have fled, fearing for their security.

Over 4,700 people in the region within which the dispensary serves are at health risk since they can not access the services.

An officer at the facility who spoke to The Standard on condition of anonymity said medics at the facility had vowed not to resume duty until security was enhanced in the area.

“Gunshots could be heard from the dense thickets around the dispensary almost every morning and this scared staff at the facility,” he said.

Most shops in Turkwel also remain closed since Monday when the situation got tense following the killing of a motorbike mechanic by suspected Turkana assailants who later dumped him at the roadside near the Turkwel junction, off Kapenguria-Kainuk road.

A shop owner in Turkwel, Linet Chepoisho said criminals have taken advantage of the tense situation to rob business premises in the region.

Ms Chepoisho also said she has closed down her canteen for five days now since there were no clients as most workers in the region had fled.

Constant attacks and retaliations have since rocked the region as communities along the border of the two counties fight over land and resources.

The violence that has so far claimed over 17 lives.

Youths protesting against the escalating insecurity in the area have since Monday barricaded the busy Kapenguria-Lodwar highway disrupting transport to and from Lodwar and the environs.

A mob demonstrating over runaway insecurity smashed the windows of a bus belonging to the Dayah bus company last Monday, injuring two passengers.

On Friday, unknown assailants sprayed a Lodwar-bound bus with bullets, killing a middle-aged woman and injuring four others on board.