THE GOVERNMENT HAS BANNED THE CARRYING OF WEAPONS ALONG THE VOLATILE LUO-MAASAI BORDER, AND ORDERED THE SURRENDER OF ALL ILLEGAL GUNS WITHIN TWO WEEKS.

News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City

The government has banned the carrying of all kinds of weapons in public places along the entire border of Rongo districts, and at the same time told those holding illegally acquired firearms to surrender them to the security agents within two weeks period of time, or else face the music.

These were parts of the contentious resolutions passed at a well attended border meeting held at Angaga market on the Rongo-Trans-Mara district border. The meeting was called to reconcile the two warring Maasai and Luo communities

Cabinet Minister Dalmas Otieno, and the Southern Nyanza and South Rift regional commissioners Erastur Ekidor and Naftally Munyadhia attended the meeting. Also in attendance were the Trans-Mara and Rongo District Commissioners, as well as district police chiefs.

This is the border area where two people were killed after being shot with arrows, when skirmishes erupted between the Maasais and Luos.

The dispute, according to police and administration sources, was over the parcel of land plot, which a Luo farmer is said to have bought over 40 years ago, and settled  his family on. An administration chief, whose location is lying along the border area, is said to have developed the interest on the piece of land, and has been the tool of incitement, pitting the two communities.

The latest skirmishes came hardly two months after the previous clashes, which resulted in the death of two people, and close to 16 houses torched on both sides of the volatile border.

During the incident on Sunday morning, a large number of people believed to be Maasai morans, armed with a mixture of lethal weapons, launched a surprise dawn attack against the sleeping Luo villages, and killed two people among the Luos.  Several hundreds of acres of sugar cane, both mature and immature were also set ablaze in the fields.

The government immediately dispatched a contingent of General Service Unit {GSU}, to supplement the regular and administration police teams already on the ground, to calm the situation. Both the Trans-Mara and Rongo D.C’s also rushed to the border and held the meeting, and appealed to the combatants from both sides to lay down their arms and allow the government to sort out the messes
The two Regional Commissioners announced their banning of carrying of weapons in the area, and also the surrender of all illegal firearms within two weeks.

Before the public rally took place, Dalmas Otieno, who is the Minister for Public Services, and the two teams held a close door meeting, which lasted for four hours, while members of the public waited patiently at the meeting venue.

 In his address, Mr. Otieno told the Luos and the Maasais to live peacefully and harmoniously, respecting each other’s constitutional and legal rights to live in any part of the country, so long as the land on which one is living on is legally acquired.

The Minister said he had consulted widely with cabinet colleague, the Minister for Internal Security, Prof. George Saitoti, and his Kilgoris counterpart Gideon Konchellah, and all agreed that peace and tranquility must be maintained at all costs. The use of private militia by anyone community against their neighbor is not permitted by the law, said the Minister.

Mr Otieno announced that three more police posts would be established along the borderline, so that the security agents can monitor the area, with the view to ensure that peace prevailed, and nobody is harassed. The move will also ensure an end to constant skirmishes along the border. He told the residents to resolve their disputes, even those affecting land, amicably and through the established court of laws, instead of resorting to the use of violence.

As a result of last Sunday skirmishes, a location chief is in policed custody, and the Nyanza P.C, Johnson Mutie, has confirmed that the chief would soon appear in court to answer charges of incitement.

Contacted, the Security Assistant Minister, Joshua Orwa Ojode said that anyone arrested and charged in court with the offense of inciting Kenyans against each other, must be interdicted immediately if such a person is a civil servant. He said that is what the law says, and added his voice to the two communities to maintain law and order, and to discard those inciting them for personal gains and interests.

Last Monday, a team of CID police arrested Chief SamsonOle Muntet of Olontury Location, that lies along the borderline between Nyanza and Rift Valley.

The Nyanza P.C, Johnson Mutie, confirmed that he chief would soon appear in court to answer the charges of incitement. The police were also looking for other persons including, another chief, suspected to be war-mongers along the border areas.

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