Peace campaigns spearheaded by the Interior ministry and politicians from pastoralist communities will not counter cattle rustling. This counter-banditry strategy is a relic of the colonial rule. It is a product of a tired security system whose commitment to fighting cattle rustling remains shaky. It has lost touch with citizens.
Unfortunately, politicians have hijacked it in order to hide their bloody tracks. Everybody knows this. Even those leading (or taking part in) these 'peace caravans' know that their mission is premised on hollow prospects. Killings, school-lessness and general breakdown of law and order will continue for as long as Nairobi's view of the development of pastoralists is clouded with short-mindedness and unhelpful paternalism.
Several reasons support this point of view. A combination of government apathy and political canvassing has elevated cattle rustlers to a powerful, lethal, bloodthirsty group capable of overrunning state security machinery stationed in banditry-prone zones. The number of police officers who have lost their lives in the hands of these monsters is enough evidence to push us into a serious national introspection. But who cares? The script is still the same.
It is not the first time to see these peace crusaders pitching tents among victims of banditry. They have deliberately chosen not to carry their peace messages with them to murderers' hideouts. I believe our able government knows where bandits reside and how they operate. Why its officials have failed to reach them raises many questions.
Banditry victims want action. They are tired of this repetitive political rhetoric.
The government of Kenya - it seems - has failed to decipher how boring its fruitless talk is to the ears of those who look up to it to escape the deadly blows of bandits and other malcontents operating in the north of the nation.
Another point: 'Peace caravans' are shrouded in dishonesty and mistrust. Largely 'untouched' by the challenges facing their constituents these 'peace crusaders' have (with all due respect) no moral standing to claim to be leaders. A region with no roads, schools and health facilities has no one to blame but the pampered political elite that claim to represent it.
They should put aside their helicopters and brave through the tattered camel paths that their electorates call roads. This is the only way for them to show solidarity with their people. Mark you; this 'shame' is what Nairobi government wants to see in order to 'remember' that the north of this nation also needs better roads. We must reverse this trend of creating two Kenyas.
One thing remains incontestable: Government-led peace initiatives are reactive and shallow. They are full of pomp and showmanship. They are a means to an end for a tiny elite. Wananchi are just but an afterthought.
You need to read reports from (independent) government agencies, faith-based organisations and some clear-minded NGOs to comprehend the gravity of this charade. 'Peace caravans' are full of unfulfilled (development) promises emanating from sensational appeal to an already desperate population.
There is no better way of addressing banditry menace than rooting out the banditry in the minds and hearts of leaders. There is too much to deal with in the form of hate speech, cattle-rustling-for-cash, politics of poverty (plus poverty of good politics), old-school policing and official neglect of the north.
Whereas devolution can cure apart of this disease, the tumor is so huge to be left to one level of government. Some interventions are exclusively within the scope of the national government.
The Turkanas, Pokots, Samburus and all their neighbours know the value of peace. It is time we all joined hands and squeezed something sweet out of this consciousness. I believe Kenya's top-level authorities can still do something to make this real.
Kenya is still one - I believe.
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