Moroto Residents Concerned Over Influx of Turkana Pastoralists

Residents of Moroto district have expressed concerns over an influx of Turkana Pastoralists into Karamoja despite Presidential Executive Order number 03.

The joint security forces have been implementing President Museveni’s executive order number 3, to flash out all the Turkana pastoralists grazing in the Karamoja sub-region. However, the forces recently relaxed the operations and this has seen many Turkana pastoralists returning to the region to graze their cattle.

Now the community has raised a concern over the isolated cases of cattle theft, calling for urgent intervention to address resurging insecurity before it escalates.

Michael Lomuria, a resident of Musas village in Tapac Sub County wondered why the Karamojong welcomed the Turkana pastoralists who have refused to abandon their guns.

Lomuria said that there was no way the Turkana would accept to peacefully coexist and share the resources when they were still armed.

He noted that there are increased raids in the areas of Loputuk, Katikekile , and Tapac and they suspect Turkana warriors to be responsible for the attacks. 

Lomuria appealed to the security forces to revive the military detachment that was removed from Musas because this created an opportunity for the raiders.

Peter Angella, another resident noted that a few wrong elements are still in possession of illegal guns in the community.

Angella said that the guns have been used for stealing people's cows and these may lure others to think of rearming themselves for protection.

He urged the security forces to remove the guns completely so that they could live in a free and peaceful community.

Emmanuel Lokir, the LCV Councilor representing Katikekile sub-county said that they are currently experiencing isolated cases of cattle theft which they believe is caused by the invasion of the Turkana pastoralists into Moroto.

Lokir also noted that the Turkana pastoralists have started stealing among themselves and the blame is always put on the hosting community. He expressed his fears that if the situation is not addressed, it is more likely to escalate because it is going to result in revenge attacks.

Lokir recalled that the influx of the Turkana pastoralists follows several community and security engagements for resource sharing.

Lokir said that they agreed in the security meeting to allow the Turkana pastoralists to enter Karamoja on condition that they declare their number of cows, an introductory letter from the Kenyan authorities, and not bring in illegal firearms.

He called upon the security committees to intervene in the matter and consider reviewing the circumstances under which the resource-sharing agreement was reached.

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Meanwhile, a section of local leaders in the Moroto district have defended the existence of the Turkana community stating the two communities share fundamental aspects of socioeconomic and cultural characters.

John Robert Adupa, the LCIII Chairperson of Lotisan sub-county said that they have Turkana communities that have lived and inter-marriage with the people in the Karamoja.

Adupa noted that the entire Lotisan sub-county is dominated by the Turkana who have stayed in for more than decades and expelling such a community becomes a challenge because they have nowhere to go.

Adupa observed that the conflict between the two communities is escalated by the few wrong elements on both sides who steal one another with their existence.

He also cited that some leaders are conniving with the security forces to use the presidential executive directives to extort money from the Turkana pastoralists.

Adupa revealed that several Turkana pastoralists have lost livestock, money, and other items and they cannot report since they are alleged to have been in the region illegally.

Adupa wondered why the Turkana community was targeted yet the executive order was very clear pursuing only the Turkana who enter with guns.

Adupa acknowledged that they have been pushing for a proposal to have the routes designated for the Turkana pastoralists who enter to graze in Karamoja. He added that this would help the security forces to monitor the movements of the Turkana and apprehend those who enter with their illegal firearms.

Adupa said that they had also suggested to the leadership of Kenya to consider meeting with the leaders in the Karamoja so that they agree on some terms and conditions before their people are allowed to enter Karamoja.

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Joseph Otita, the LCIII Chairperson of Rupa Sub County shared the same experience with his counterpart in Lotisan Sub County stating that the Turkana pastoralists have nowhere to take their cows.

Otita noted that most of the Turkana who are staying on Moroto have lived for over 50 years and they have never gone back to their ancestral home in Kenya. He also recalled that most of the guns recovered by the security forces were picked from the Turkana kraals.

Otita said that they have agreed to host the Turkana pastoralists but on condition that they do not enter into the region with guns.

Otita noted that they are working closely with the security forces to monitor the movements of Turkana pastoralists and ensure that they do not cause havoc.

Similarly, the Pian community in the Nakapiripirit district have asked for the expulsion of all the Kenyan Pokot pastoralists who are grazing on their land. The locals accused the Pokot who come from mainly West Pokot in Kenya of conniving with the Pokot in the Amudat district to cause havoc and spoiling the peace mission.

Joseph Maruk, a resident of Nadip village in Tokora Sub County observed that they have long existed peacefully with the Pokot pastoralists in the Amudat district.

Maruk said that they started realizing conflicts recently when the Pokot of Amudat started bringing in their colleagues from the Kenyan side to graze in Nakapiripirit. He said that the Kenyan Pokot pastoralists were sneaking in with their guns and they could connive with a few wrong elements of the community to raid cows.

Maruk noted that most of the guns used for raiding originated from Kenya and the cows raided are sold in the Kenyan markets.

Maruk appealed to the government to ban the Kenyan Pokot pastoralists if they were to peacefully coexist.

John Agan, the LC3 chairperson of Tokora sub county acknowledged that the Kenyan Pokot have been raiding their cows and taking them to sell in the markets from their country.

Agan testified that he found their cows loaded in the truck being driven from Kitale to Nairobi city markets and he could do nothing.

Agan noted that sometimes the Pokot can steal the cows for the Turkana and later bring them to sell in Uganda and vice versa.

Agan revealed that if the matter of Kenyan Pokot pastoralists is not addressed, it will force them to end the relationship with their neighboring Pokot of the Amudat district.

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Brig Gen Wilberforce Sserunkuma, the UPDF 3rd division commander while responding to the west Pokot claims observed that some community members had reached an agreement with the Pokot to graze on their land.

Sserunkuma said that in this situation, it would be had for the security forces to limit the movement of the Pokot who are welcomed by the community. He said that others had paid money to the hosting community for them to graze cows.

He however reiterated that they are still executing the presidential executive order No3 banning the Kenyan pastoralists from grazing in the Karamoja sub region.

Sserunkuma noted that they had flashed away all the Turkana out of Karamoja and if it was true that they had returned, the security forces are is ready to carry out an operation.

He vowed to continue executing the Presidential directive and urged the community to cooperate with the security forces by reporting about the movements of the Kenyan pastoralists.