Hundreds of camel herders staged a peaceful demonstration in Isiolo town to pressurise the government to hasten arming police reservists recently disarmed pending fresh recruitment.
The herders moved a few camels around town before taking them to the county headquarters seeking audience with the County Commissioner where they presented their grievances.
A herder Abdinoor Maalim said the camel owners were afraid of being attacked by rustlers following threats from their armed foes whom they graze together in Mlango area.
Maalim said the local national police reservists from the Somali community were recently disarmed and tension was high while grazing in the area.
Upon being asked why they brought camels to the county commissioner’s office yard instead of taking them to a safer grazing ground, Maalim said the armed criminals were daring and could take their animals away even in broad daylight.
"We want the authorities to know that our livelihoods are at risk and therefore to arm our police reservists as soon as possible or else police officers be deployed to watch over our animals, our economic mainstay," Maalim said.
He said disarming should involve all communities that are known to steal animals from one another and not be done selectively exposing others to the danger of losing property to their rivals.
He claimed that about 40 herders have been killed in rustling activities in the region in the last two years and thousands of livestock stolen from innocent residents.
Isiolo County Commissioner (CC) Geoffrey Omoding said he had already returned the firearms to disarmed national police reservists and a normal security operation would also continue in the area to ensure all guns found in the area were in the right hands.
The CC said the NPRs were recently disarmed and were waiting to be re-vetted but due to the sensitivity of the area, more security personnel would be added.
The herders moved more than 100 camels to the county commissioner’s compound.
Omoding confirmed that security officers are in hot pursuit of rustlers who stole an unknown number of goats at Gotu area.
He appealed to wananchi to provide vital information to lead to the apprehension of criminals and recovery of stolen animals.
