A court in Uganda on Wednesday, April 12, sentenced 32 Kenyans to 20 years in prison for allegedly being in possession of illegal firearms and ammunition.
All 32 Kenyans were said to be villagers from Orum in Loima Sub County, Turkana County.
The accused appeared before the 3rd Division Military Court Martial in Moroto District in Northern Uganda, where they pleaded guilty before court martial chairman Col Benard Arinaitwe Tuhame.
In an interview with Uganda's The Monitor, Brig Gen Joseph Balikuddembe explained that the 32 suspects were arrested during an operation conducted in Lokereyot Village, Nadunget sub-county, about 50 kilometres from Moroto Town in Uganda on Saturday morning, April 8.
“It was a well-executed operation after intelligence leads indicated that the kraal in the village owned by the Turkana pastoralists was a hideout for guns,” Brig Balikuddembe alleged.
31 guns and 752 rounds of ammunition were recovered from the Turkana pastoralists during the security operation in Moroto District. 19 bows and arrows were also recovered.
The 32 Kenyans were arraigned in the court based on section 119 of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Act, which states that any person found with weapons, ammunition or equipment that is a monopoly of the armed forces will be subject to Military Law and tried by the Court Martial.
Brig Balikuddembe revealed that one warrior was killed during the operation while others were injured.
A total of 129 suspects were arrested in the operation, but the files for the 32 suspects were the only ones ready by Tuesday, April 11, for prosecution.
Over years, Turkana pastoralists were migrating across the borders of Kenya and Uganda in search of fresh pastures and water for their livestock.
In most cases, the pastoralist community was accused of having illegal firearms and ammunition linked to incidences of cattle rustling in the region.
The issue also spreads to fishing, with over 30 Kenyan fishermen and boats impounded by Ugandan Security Personnel while on a fishing expedition in Lake Victoria on March 23. The fishermen were from Remba Island in Suba North Constituency.
On Monday, February 20, a Kenyan delegate, led by East African Community Cabinet Secretary (CS) Rebecca Miano and Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, urged Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni to release Kenyans jailed in Ugandan prisons.
Ugandan Security Minister, Jim Muhwezi, who represented Museveni, promised to address the issue after listening to Kenya's pleas at a high-level security meeting.
The Kenyans jailed were arrested in March 2022 on accusations of killing five Ugandan officials, including three geologists and two military personnel.
