From Lotodo to Pkosing, Pokot leaders plead their innocence

Some of the Pokot politicians accused of of incitement and sponsoring banditry. [Standard] The quizzing of Pokot South MP David Pkosing by the police last week rekindled other high-profile clashes between area leaders and the government on allegations of incitement and sponsoring banditry. Among those who have had run-ins with the law over lawlessness in the region was Francis Polis Loile Lotodo, a revered leader of the Pokot who died in 2000 while serving as Minister for Energy. He was arrested and detained in 1990 together with the then MP for Kacheliba Samuel Losuron Poghisio for allegedly promoting warlike activities in West Pokot. After their expulsion from Kanu, the two lost their parliamentary seats on technical grounds because they were then party-less during the then one-party regime. School teacher Emmanuel Lotim thereafter succeeded Lotodo while Peter Lochaun Nang'ole won the Kacheliba seat in the 1990 by-election. Other Pokot leaders who denied supporting banditry despite being strongly linked to the menace include former Assistant Minister Asman Abongotum Kamama, who eight years ago was put under pressure to resign as chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security. MPs, led by Turkana South legislator James Lomenen, protested after Pokot bandits attacked a police vehicle on the Chemolingot-Kapedo road, killing six people including three police officers. "The only way Kamama can convince Kenyans he is innocent of the atrocities meted out by his people is through resignation, failure to which he should be axed through a vote of no confidence," said Lomenen. Kamama denied the claims, arguing that he was a peacemaker. Further demands for his resignation followed in 2017 when two local politicians were killed in Tiaty by bandits. He again stuck to his guns by refusing to relinquish his position as chairman of the committee. "Those who want me to resign claiming I'm interfering with investigations do not understand my roles and are confusing my powers and those of Interior Cabinet Secretary and Inspector General of Police," he said. His successor William Kamket also faced incitement charges over violence in Laikipia. He was repeatedly accused by colleagues in Baringo for allegedly sponsoring banditry, claims he denied. In September 2021, he was charged in a Nakuru court with incitement to violence and uttering words aimed at inciting communities at Ol Moran in Laikipia, amid further claims that linked him to insecurity in the region. In 2004, Samuel Moroto, the Kapenguria MP, was also briefly detained by the Kibaki government for allegedly uttering inciting words against other communities. He appeared before Nakuru Resident Magistrate for allegedly warning other communities living in West Pokot but was later acquitted. Pokot leaders have over the years cried foul over claims that they are profiled as dangerous leaders who sponsor cattle rustling and banditry against neighbouring communities. They have also complained about their community being branded aggressors in the cattle raids that have for decades killed thousands of people in the North Rift region. But leaders from Samburu, Marakwet, Turkana and parts of North Eastern Uganda have always pointed fingers at the Pokot and their leaders for escalating raids despite pacification efforts made to stop the vice. Last week, Pokot MPs, among them Pkosing and his Sigor counterpart Peter Lochakapong, made a spirited effort to defend local leaders and the community against blanket condemnation after the government ordered a gun mop-up operation in six affected counties. "Everybody is saying, ooh the Pokot have done this and that. Unfortunately, all our neighbours also think we have conflict with them yet the problem is about sharing of resources," said Lochakapong. He said the main cause of frequent clashes is lack of resources and artificial boundaries across the region. He said other communities also clash with their neighbours, citing Turkana's conflicts with Karamojong of Uganda, Toposa of South Sudan and the Nyangatom of Ethiopia. "Everyone is saying Pokot are disturbing everybody, yet it is only because of the borders that were drawn by the White man that pastoralists trespass in search of pasture and water," said the MP. Leaders neighbouring the Pokot are, however, adamant that they are not only heavily armed aggressors but dangerous bandits who have no respect for the government. Samburu Woman Representative Pauline Lenguris argues that no community should be allowed to cross their boundaries to graze animals in another county. "You cannot be pastoralists forever. The Pokot know their boundaries but have no respect for the government and want to live in the wild where there is no government," says Lenguris, claiming that Samburu territory in the Suguta Valley has been irregularly occupied. Efforts were made to pacify communities around Suguta by establishing a conservancy, but the bandits allegedly killed all the wild animals and destroyed the camp. Pkosing, however, argues that no community should be blamed for the frequent clashes because those areas are marginalised and nothing short of a martial plan to open the up the place will be a panacea. "We need a permanent presence of the military spread after every five or kilometres apart to provide security and also to open up roads, build schools and dig dams and boreholes." Lochakapong supports the argument, agreeing that the people of Tiaty live in their own world and some may even not be aware that the government exists because of marginalisation. "We represent the government on the ground, but we are limited in terms of resources, and so the national government should ensure they are brought as close as possible to the rest of Kenya," he says. Asked about the source of the guns, the MP blames the porous borders in the north, saying people only need to sell 15 or 20 cows out of their large herd to acquire a firearm. Although the Pokot MPs deny that no leaders are sponsoring the bandits, Lenguris is adamant that some people must be behind steady supply of guns and bullets. The MP urges the government to expose such leaders, cautioning that unless they are charged, the lawlessness will continue and more lives will be lost. Prof Amukoa Anangwe says the Pokot MPs are elected to defend their people and will be blamed if they don't do so while their neighbours must also please their constituents. Having worked in those areas before, Anangwe is aware of the involvement by some leaders in giving money for the purchase of bullets when their people are attacked. He says the ongoing operation is a very expensive exercise because of the massive amount of resources involved. "We need long-term measures that will strengthen government presence in those areas and also engage communities, both formally and informally, through community-based structures," he says. He notes that the unending cycle of chasing the bandits to disarm them has not worked in the past and has also proved to be a very risky business for security officers.

From Lotodo to Pkosing, Pokot leaders plead their innocence

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