Turkana-Pokot war is #banditrycapitalism2.0

Two weeks ago my curiosity pushed me into a closed-door peace meeting in Kainuk organized by sub-county security teams from Turkana South and Sigor sub-counties. In the room were selected persons from both sides. The meeting, I learnt, was prompted by the Pokot side after one of its residents claimed that suspected bandits from Turkana allegedly drove away his 250 cows towards Kainuk trading center.

The exchanges that followed uncovered the many old questions associated with Turkana-Pokot war and which have remained unanswered. Untruths, bloody business and creativity whose import is to cover wrongs. The most visible one touched on the value of human life vis-a-vis that of say, a cow.

About a week earlier, one person was shot dead in Kainuk (allegedly by Pokot bandits). No follow up was conducted and the man was buried and forgotten. Unfortunately, this incident did not feature in the agenda list of the gathering. What was given much weight was how those cows said to have been stolen would be returned. 

For your information, killers roaming in this part of Kenya need not worry about being arrested provided they have cows within their reach. You see, there is something here called cow-compensation. It is a form of compensation where a bereaved family is given some cows by agents of a suspected murderer (or his family) to "clean the blood of the dead". Then the whole story is forgotten. This is despite the clear demands of the laws of Kenya that law breakers should be arrested and be subjected to the due process of law.

What disturbs me is the fact that this form of compensation is supported, promoted and defended by those who ought to know what justice means and how such types of law-breaking persons should be handled. 

That equating people's lives with livestock is normal tells me there is something bigger behind Turkana-Pokot war.

The visibility of the deputy county commissioners from both sides in the hall would easily make one believe that government was alive and that law enforcement remained its cardinal obligation. But what flowed from their mouths, augmented by their body language made Kenya look like an abode of all breeds of miscreants where law enforcement only materializes after these miscreants are assured of their safety.

This experience reminded me of an article I read on Evonomics, written by Linsey McGoey - author of No Such Thing as a Free Gift: The Gates Foundation and The Price of Philanthropy.

Though her piece focused on philanthrocapitalism, and how the rich bank on conditions of the poor to lift up their wealth as the poor become poorer, three of her key words fit perfectly into the Turkana-Pokot context. These are relevance, profits and maintenance.

For a distant observer, and indeed the general public, poverty and killings shoot up as key ingredients to concoct a catchy story. And here comes the ball, how would these catchy stories exist if we uproot the main actors profiting from them?

So maintenance of violence is important to keep certain offices relevant and to keep profits flowing in. Call it #banditrycapitalism2.0 in action.

I am unhappy with the way the Kenyan government handles this conflict. Where on earth do you have all tools of work, you know the crook disturbing public order and still opt to go beg that crook to give you cows to pass over to families whose loved ones the crook has killed? Is this the way our Constitution mandates security agents to maintain law and order?

We must just underline some things even if they sound painful. Look, the mafia-like mentality stoking northern Kenya, and Turkana in particular is due to state failure to guarantee security and is the main reason why the region still swims in poverty. Blame not terrain and the gods. The problem is here with us. Bandits sing because they know they have listeners.

The many layers of listeners being entertained by bandits need be identified and action taken against them. Profiting from human blood is more than a curse. It is a crime against humans and God. We must all stand together and neutralize these demons.

Lemukol M. Ng'asike is an architect. Twitter: @mlemukol