Two people killed along Turkana-Pokot border

By Wilberforce Netya

TURKANA, KENYA: Two people have been killed near Turkwel along the volatile Turkana/Pokot border as insecurity in the area escalates.

The duo, a motorbike mechanic and a herder, were shot dead at Kiwanja ndege near Turkwel in a raid perpetrated by suspected Turkana attackers.

The two are said to have been ambushed by the raiders who also attacked villages on the West Pokot side and made away with 50 heads of cattle.

West Pokot County police commander, Mr Charles Wasike, confirmed the incident but said he was only aware of the killing of the mechanic.

He promised to divulge further details once officers on the ground furnish him with more details.

West Pokot deputy governor, Titus Lotee, however said the two were killed as a result of the border dispute in the area.

"They were ambushed and killed for no apparent reason. These were just people going about their businesses. This can only be an act of aggression by our Turkana counterparts," he told The Standard.

Lotee said the raiders later rounded up the 50 cows as they retreated back to the Turkana side and complained that security forces were yet to pursue them.

He castigated what he termed as selective application of the law in the border dispute and called for President Uhuru Kenyatta's intervention in the matter.

"When our people cordoned some villages and roads in Lorogon to protest insecurity in the area, a serious security operation is mounted against us. But when our people are killed and livestock stolen, there is no such operation. Are we really Kenyans?" posed Lotee.

The governor protested against a smear campaign spearheaded over the years that portrayed the Pokot community as aggressors in acts of cattle rustling and banditry committed in along the border of the two counties.

"Due to this perception, we hardly get any help from concerned authorities including the government yet in many instances we have been the victims," said Lotee.

Meanwhile, Wasike said relative calm had returned to Lorogon area after the siege, adding that a contingent of security personnel sent there would remain until an amicable solution to the dispute is found.

"Officers are there to protect both communities and we are working round the clock to ensure that peace returns to the area so that people can go on with their lives," he added.

The police commander appealed to both communities to end hostilities and give dialogue a chance in efforts to resolve the long standing boundary dispute.