By B, KNA
The government has engaged elders from Borana, Samburu and Rendille communities with a view to ease tension among herders who have converged at Kom Durte area, Isiolo County following scarcity of pasture and water.
Following influx of animals at Kom area, Merti Sub-County, there has been rising tension among the livestock owners scrambling for the scarce resources forcing the National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO) to involve elders at grassroots level to avert potential conflicts.
The authorities have initiated peace talks involving Samburu, Borana and Rendille community elders to prevail upon herders to accommodate one another and share the scarce pastures and water in the area.
Merti Sub-County Peace Chairman who is also a Deputy County Commissioner for the area, Mr. Michael Kioni called upon the elders to rein in their youth not to cause conflict over the natural resources and also obey the laid down rules for herders moving their livestock to new territories.
“Conflicts stem from the influx of livestock and herders to the grazing area where an estimated 10,000 cattle move into Kom Durte range that is endowed with pasture and water in dry seasons sometimes leading to conflicts emanating from sharing the resources or even stealing animals from other groups,” said the deputy County Commissioner.
The meetings brought together Sub County Commissioners and security teams from the three affected sub counties, political leaders, peace committees and elders, Morans, women, and community representatives from the region.
The meeting was supported by the Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC), IMPACT, the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), the RANGE Programme funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the LSS Programme supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
All the participants agreed that proposals requiring chiefs to escort herders and hand them over to the respective area administrators and also ensure the guidelines the government had introduced on how to share and move to new grazing areas were enforced to avert conflicts.
A livestock owner, Mohamed Abduba, observed that area people were worried by the presence of armed youth escorting livestock into the grazing fields without control fearing that they would drive away their livestock and endanger lives.
Representing the Rangelands Programme, Seayana Lembara outlined preliminary agreements, noting that elders had agreed to exchange stolen animals and ensure that livestock movements would be overseen by chiefs.
According to Terresa Yenae of IMPACT, elders from all the communities would elect committees tasked with drafting the bylaws to be signed and respected by all sides.
“These agreements would govern resource sharing as well as emphasize the formal structures for use if the drought conditions worsened, as county governments and partners could then step in with support such as livestock pellets and other interventions to reduce animal losses,” She added.
Waso Ward Representative, Kelvin Lemantang, called on security agencies to act firmly against Morans reported to be intimidating travellers and stopping vehicles along the road.
“Security remains paramount as the authorities should focus on coordinated patrols, strict enforcement against illegal firearms, and stronger early warning systems to prevent highway banditry and armed clashes,” Lemantang said.
He appealed for peace committees across Isiolo, Samburu, and Marsabit to ensure there was great need to share information in real time, enabling swift responses and better conflict prevention.