Samburu leaders accuse gov’t of shooting, bombing livestock

A section of Samburu leaders led by women representative Maison Leshoomo and Nominated Senator Naisula Lesuuda are now asking the national government to abort the ongoing security operation in neighbouring Laikipia County.

The leaders, who spoke after attending women and leadership training seminar at Almano in Maralal, Samburu County on Saturday March 31 said the operation is being done in a wrong manner.

“The operation was only meant to evict herders and their livestock from private lands which we are actually supporting but what is surprising us is that cattle are being shot at with bullets and bombs. This must stop,” Leshoomo said, adding that the operations led by Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery only targeted to punish the communities living in the region.

“I want tell you Nkaissery if your aim is to harass Samburu and Pokot among other communities living in Laikipia you should leave that office. Since independence in Kenya we have never seen or heard about cattle being shot at with bullets,” she said.

However, the women representative advised that the national government should pursue and arrest the perpetrators of the attacks experienced in the region.

“We are not happy [with] criminal activities including murder of a foreign ranch owner and burning of private ranches among others that have been experienced in Laikipia County in the recent past but the government would have pursued to arrest those behind it instead of killing cattle,” she said.

Ms Lesuuda on her part faulted the security forces over the failure to engage local leaders for the success of the operation.

“It is good that when security forces do their work they deal with the leadership of the area to talk to their people.  It is so unfortunate that we are seeing people’s livelihoods – cattle – being shot at, bombed.  Why are we shooting at people’s cattle? What is it that that cannot be agreed upon?” Ms Lesuda posed, adding: “It is unfortunate as some of the herders in Laikipia County have signed grazing agreements with land owners.”

The leaders asked the head of state to intervene and save herders in the region from loosing their only source of livelihood to government operations.

They said that the conflict could have been avoided if the central government had established livestock management board that would address challenges affecting the pastoralist community.

The nominated senator added: “The board would now be looking at the issues of drought, coordinating between the counties on how to do pasture management. We need our own authority or board which looks into issues to do with livestock right from marketing, anticipating drought, drop in livestock process to sharing scarce water and pasture resources among herders during a dry spell.”

Moreover, Ms Lesuuda pointed out that farmers in other regions including tea, coffee and sugar cane had management boards that improve the lives of the people yet the pastoralists had been neglected.

“Drought doesn’t just happen. It is something we foresee. If this board could have existed the same way other boards like tea; and advises government to intervene but who is talking on behalf of livestock famers?” she posed.