Joint security forces have intensified operations to flush out Turkana Pastoralists grazing their livestock in the Karamoja sub-region.
This follows President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s executive order dated May 2023, ordering all the Turkana Pastoralists to return back to Kenya as one of the measures to curb gun violence in the region. The Turkana Pastoralists are also accused of sneaking into the region with illegal guns escalating insecurity.
Currently, an estimated 50,000 Turkana pastoralists are grazing cattle in the areas of Kobebe dam, Nawutu in Katikekile Sub County, Naput in Moroto district, and some parts of Kaabong.
Brig Gen Felix Busizoori, Deputy Commander of UPDF 3rd Division said that they have started their operations against the Turkana Pastoralists because they partly contribute to the insecurity in the region.
Busizoori said that the operations are ongoing in Kaabong and Moroto district where major incidents of cattle theft are reported.
Busizoori observed that although the security situation is calm, there are few armed wrong elements within the Turkana communities and this may be a threat to the population that has already embraced peace.
He also noted that most of the Turkana Pastoralists are concentrated at the borderline and security forces do not have a mandate to push them out of the boundaries.
Busizoori warned the Karimojong communities against hosting Turkana Pastoralists asserting that they should go back to their land until the peace deal is resolved.
Jeremiah Lomorukai, the Turkana County Governor in Kenya said that he has tried everything possible to make sure that they coexist with the neighboring districts in the Karamoja subregion but all in vain.
Lomorukai blamed a section of local leaders in Karamoja for misinforming President Museveni and feeding him with wrong information about the Turkana Pastoralists living in Uganda.
Lomorukai also observed that Turkana communities living in Karamoja have been oppressed by the security forces despite the peaceful coexistence with Karimojong communities.
He noted that about 20 Turkana people have been killed in Karamoja between the months of January and September 2023 and they are not concerned.
Lomorukai appealed to the Ugandan government to consider giving them another chance for the peace dialogue that would help them design better solutions for peaceful coexistence and resource sharing with the neighboring community.
However, on 12th September, President Museveni while launching the construction of the cement factory in Moroto reiterated that Turkana Pastoralists should not step to Uganda until they produce the killers of the geologists.
“For the Turkana, I told them that you will not come back to Uganda unless you hand over the people who killed my people. They are now talking of compensation, which is alright, but they must bring the killers first because we cannot go on with this nonsense. This game of using the fact that you have Pokot in Uganda and Kenya, and you steal cows and take them to Kenya, that should stop.” President Museveni lamented.
URN.