Water scarcity now blamed for clashes, displacement and stealing of livestock

Woman fleeing clashes in Lomoiywet area, Mochongoi, Baringo South, January 2022. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

The search for pasture and water by armed herders in Baringo and Laikipia Counties has caused untold suffering to the locals. Families have been displaced, several killed and property destroyed.

With drought, the herders believed to be from the neighbouring counties of Samburu, Isiolo and Baringo have invaded the area.

On Saturday armed herders shot and injured two people in Lomoiywet, Mochongoi, Baringo County.

Area Assistant Chief Stephen Lobeles confirmed the incident, adding that locals were fleeing. The injured were taken to Baringo County hospital.

Seven villages have been affected. They include Kokorgoron, Lamaiwe, Tuiyotich, Kapkwangayan, Kaptarakwa, Kapkechir, Elbor villages.

Joseph Keitany, whose brother was shot, said the herders first attack, then livestock follow after a successful displacement of the locals.

“They are well organised; a group of armed herders stage an attack, then a second one comes with the animals. Through the attacks, they are expanding their territory,” said Keitany.

Residents, he said, are living on the edge, with fears of subsequent attacks.

Area MCA Kipruto Kimosop called on the government to carry out forceful disarmament to flush out the herders.

Kimosop said learning had been paralysed. “We are not sure what will happen to learners along that belt. They have been condemned,” he said.

Two weeks ago, leaders from Baringo held a meeting to chart a way forward. The meeting came after the herders killed one person and torched his motorcycle.

Mark Kwonyike, brother to Stephen Kwonyike, who was killed, said his brother was in the area to assess availability of pasture, before taking his cows there to graze. He met the killers.

In the meeting, the residents called for reinstatement of National Police Reservists. They also called for a meeting with Interior CS Fred Matiang’i.

At least 220 households were displaced. Nine schools were affected after the herders’ raid.

Baringo Governor Stanley Kiptis yesterday visited the area and called on the national government to intervene and have peace restored.

Residents of Laikipia West have also not known peace for the last six months after illegal herders flocked the area in search of water and pasture, leading to a conflict that has since claimed the lives of 27 people, among them five police officers.

Martha Muthoni, a resident of Ol Moran area, said she fled from her home after losing her husband and her daughter in July 22 last year.

She also lost 56 cows. “That was the worst year in my life. How could I lose my husband and my daughter in one day,” she posed.

She regreted investing in Laikipia after relocating from Limuru in Kiambu County.

The 53-year-old now rents a house at Kinamba trading centre.

Just like her, several other families have been camping at Ol Moran Catholic and AIC churches after their houses were burnt by suspected bandits.

Among the areas affected were Kisii Ndogo, Ol Moran, Wangwachi, Matwiku, Rubere and Kamwenje.

Githiga MCA Peter Thomi blames the matter on the withdrawal of police reservists two years ago.

“In the past, we used to live in peace. The withdrawal of the police reservists saw the herders invade private farms and strike,” he said.

Laikipia Nature and Conservancy owner Kuki Gallman said she had lost more than Sh30 million after the illegal grazers invaded her farm. “I had just erected an electric fence when they invaded. All this has now gone to the drain,” she regrets.

County commissioner Joseph Kanyiri says plans are underway to reconstruct houses destroyed by the bandits.

“By next month, all those whose houses were destroyed will be resettled. We have deployed more than 400 police officers in the volatile areas,” he said.

Kanyiri said the affected families were also getting food supplies.

Luchetu Likaka, a security consultant at Expertise Criminologique Limited, attributed the attacks to several factors.

Dr Likaka said the area’s topography made it a potential hotspot for violence and endemic conflicts since the entire region is marginalised, destitute, with poor infrastructure, and diverse cultural values that fan the flames of discord among locals.

Laikipia’s terrain, he said, has been unoccupied and remained fallow for many years, allowing pastoral communities to herd cattle in open spaces.

“Foreigners’ private ownership of land in Laikipia County has resulted in deadly clashes between public and private dwellers. The endemic conflict in the region points to a defective land tenure system,” Likaka said.

Cattle rustling in Laikipia, he said, is so severely entrenched that there are established ties with international criminal networks. He said the challenges faced by Laikipia County could be overcome if significant attention was paid to addressing the challenges locals are facing.