Man treks 367km to sell peace in volatile region

A man walked 367 kilometres from Lodwar in Turkana county to Eldoret in Uasin Gishu county in a bid to promote peaceful coexistence among communities living in the troubled North Rift region.

Dr Malcolm Lochodo, founder of Restoration Harvest Mission, opted to walk to raise awareness on the impact of runaway insecurity and met with residents who have been affected by the insecurity problem.

The walk, which took eight days, was flagged off by Turkana governor Jeremiah Lomorukai in Lodwar town. Lochodo made several stops to pray with travellers plying the Lodwar-Kitale road, and also to interact with locals living along the highway.

He promised to work with youth from Turkana and West Pokot counties, and across North Rift, who are dedicated to fostering peace, as evidenced by their decision to walk together with him to Eldoret.

"I look forward to working with youth from this region, already youth from West Pokot have embraced this initiative and the county government of West Pokot through the County Secretary has lauded the initiative," said Dr Lochodo.

He was undeterred despite advice from security officers when he arrived at the hotspot area of Kaakong, where four police officers were killed and three police vehicles torched by armed bandits a few months ago.

At Kaakong, Lochodo turned down pleas by security officers asking with him to board the vehicle and be evacuated to safety, opting instead to walk across the stretch.

"I was approached by security officers who pleaded with me to board a motor vehicle for security escort as the area is dangerous. I told them nothing will happen to me because God of faith is walking with me, and I am protected," said Lochodo.

He surprised many motorists who were playing the route as he walked through the volatile area and made out unharmed. Lochodo has since appealed to President William Ruto to initiate a major peace project on the borders of Turkana and West Pokot to end banditry in the area.

He further reiterated that area leaders should institute dialogue to address the issue of insecurity in the North Rift region.

"Our political leaders should have dialogue over this menace, so that we can coexist as one family in the Rift. Bombing and shooting bandits can not be a lasting solution, let's embrace dialogue," he said.

His major stopover was in Lami Nyeusi in West Pokot where five people were killed recently, where he engaged with locals and even changed the name to Lami Nyeupe as a sign of peace.

Diana Rotich, a youth leader in West Pokot and peace ambassador, called on youth to embrace peaceful activities to benefit the community.

"We as youths of today, we are the change, we are the tool of peace, let's not allow it to be used as a tool of violence, and yet we have the strength to change the narrative," said Rotich.

Luca Ariko, patron of the Reformed Church of East Africa in Eldoret, who received Lochodo and his team also called on political leaders to bring sanity in the Rift.

"We want to see our leaders initiating such peace walks so that our people can see some seriousness. If our leaders cannot do the same, then we will not fully achieve what exactly we what," said Ariko.