The pastoralists are saying they are not seeing any impact of the signed memorundum of understanding given the fact that there is still growing cattle rusttling between the Turkana, Karimojong and West Kenyan Pokot cattle keepers.
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President Museveni and Hhuru Kenyatta after wittnesing the singing of MOU on cross boder development in Moroto on Thursday (photo by Steven Ariong)
The two pastoral communities, the Turkana of Kenya and the
Karimojong of Uganda have asked both governments to review and brief them on the
achievements of the memorandum of understanding signed last year.
Last year in September, President Museveni and his Kenya
counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta signed the MOU on the cross border joint program for
sustainable peace and development.
The signing of the MOU funded by European Union at the tune 3 Billion Shillings
targets three neighbouring pastoralist community namely the West Pokot of
Kenya, Turkana of Kenya and Karimojong of Uganda.
Among the key highlights was that the two governments jointly implement and
coordinate collaboration with the decentralized and devolved structures the
objectives of the MOU.
The two governments are also required to jointly identify the cause
and impacts of conflict to improve conflict prevention, management, resolution
capacities of the communities.
However, the pastoralists are saying they are not seeing any
impact of the signed memorandum given the fact that there are increasing cases
of cattle rustling between the Turkana, Karimojong and West Kenyan Pokot cattle
keepers.
Jorem Lokuruka a pastoralist and a resident of Lokiriama location
in Turkana County said the two governments should review the signed MOU by the
two presidents saying it seems the purpose of the MOU has not been implemented.
"There is still conflict among the neighbouring cattle keepers the
Karimojing raiding Turkanas also Turkanas raiding Karimojong, Pokots yet we
expected the signing of the MOU in Moroto last year to have ended this
act," he said.
Peter Lote another pastoralist from Moroto says that as long as the Kenyan
government does not disarm the Turkana and the Pokot like what Museveni did to
the Karimojong, there will be no peace in between Karimojong, Turkanas and
Pokots.
Grace Nakong another resident of Musupo village in Rupa Sub County said their
problem as pastoralists in Karamoja is one group having guns while others
are not armed.
John Byabagambi the Minister for Karamoja affairs when contacted
said the demand by the pastoralists was genuine. He says that there are plans
to carry out a review, but they are being hindered by the covid-19 pandemic.
steven Ariong
Freelancer