A group of cattle rustlers staged
a raid on a village in Merikuka, Turkana County leaving one of them dead.
Police said the deceased was among
a group of cattle rustlers who had crossed from the Ethiopian side to Kenya for
livestock when an exchange of fire broke out.
The local herders were leading
their livestock to grazing fields on October 2 when they were ambushed by
Dessanach rustlers from the Southern Ethiopian Side at Lowaat area.
This left one of the raiders
fatally wounded as the other suspected accomplices escaped.
Most herders in the area are armed
or are accompanied by National Police Reservists.
A team from South Omo police
rescue vehicle arrived at the scene and picked up the body.
The officers later transported the
body to the Ethiopian side and handed it to authorities amid tension.
The police said they had
intensified patrols in the area to address fears of planned retaliation from
the raiders.
The area is among those facing
frequent attacks by rustlers which have left many dead, injured and displaced.
This has affected development at
large amid efforts to address the menace.
The area is among those under
police operation to recover illegal weapons in the hands of civilians.
The operation started three months
ago and involve multi-agency teams covering various counties.
Operation Komesha Uhalifu North
Rift targets Baringo, West Pokot, Turkana, Samburu, Marsabit and Isiolo
counties.
Besides retributive reaction,
strategic investment and sustainable development have also taken a prominent
place among the government’s planned crime control interventions for Kenya’s
Northern frontier and the Kerio Valley belt.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure
Kindiki said the long-term vision is to empower the communities to actively
take part in the war against animal rustling and undertake legitimate
nation-building activities.
He said he plans to distribute subsidized
agricultural inputs and extension services to area residents to revive farming
activities as a source of livelihood.
“We are coming to dismantle not
only the criminals themselves but also to bring down the entire chain that has
been the cattle and livestock rustling industry,” he said.