The government should establish a military camp at Angata Barakoi in Trans Mara, Narok County, to check renewed clashes in the area that have left one more person dead, Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ngeno has said.
Ngeno, who spoke on Tuesday, May 13, noted that KDF deployment would be necessary, especially because the clashes occurred along the Kenya-Tanzania border. "After all, the work of the army is to protect our borders," the MP said.
The MP said that despite the presence of police officers in the region, the security situation continues to get worse. "What is needed is the capacity of the KDF to handle cross-border skirmishes."
“We are requesting the President (William Ruto) to establish a KDF camp here in Angata on the border between Kenya and Tanzania,” Ngeno said.
Ngeno further noted that there were enough reasons to believe the conflict, brought about by cattle rustling, was done by foreigners, as the stolen cattle would always end up in Tanzania.
“Most of these rustlers and bandits are from Tanzania, almost 80 per cent of them. It is only that sometimes they speak the same dialect as people of this area. They might sound similar, but most of the cattle stolen here go to Tanzania,” he added.
He was speaking after renewed clashes today between rival communities a herder dead after being shot six times.
Even so, Ngeno also stressed the need to deploy Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU) officers to end cattle rustling in the area.
The MP noted that with their strong background in tracking stolen cattle, the ASTU will be better placed to deal with cattle rustlers than the General Service Unit (GSU) officers who have since been deployed in the area.
Ngeno said ASTU would complement KDF officers and restore order to the Barikoi area, which recently attracted attention after clashes between police and residents resulted in casualties.
On Monday, April 28, five people were shot dead in the area of Kilgoris, Narok County, over what reports suggested was a bitter feud over 6300 acres of land.
Reports indicated that the individuals who lost their lives were protesting the alleged grabbing of the contested land.
Further reports suggest that the land in question belongs to a powerful politician from the region.
Videos and images obtained by Kenyans.co.ke depicted gunshots ringing out as residents fled to escape the officers.
The residents of Angata Barikoi had earlier demonstrated in March this year over the intention of the accused leader to grab their piece of land.
