Kuria East Member of Parliament Marwa Kitayama has urged the government to use its authority in combating the invasion of the Kenyan boarder communities by the neighboring militants.
Speaking on Tuesday in Parliament during the petition presented by Loima Member of Parliament Protus Akuja, the United Democratic Alliance lawmaker said that peace amongst the boarder residents is paramount and should be prioritised for the wellbeing of the region.
“An injustice to any community that lives along the boarder is an injustice to all of us,the Kuria people live both sides of the boarder of Kenya and Tanzania.What our brothers are going through is not unique because we have been suffering the same for the very long time the only difference is that we have been able to find a way of living with this injustice and talking to the leadership of Tanzanian side so that our people can get justice so quickly.This is not to say that the good people of Turkana and Pokot should continue suffering from these inhumane acts in a manner that can’t be handled by the government which is capable of doing that” he said.
Akuja was tabling a petition following a move that saw saw 32 Kenyans sentenced
to 20 years each in prison by the Ugandan court martial for illegally possessing firearms and ammunition.
In April this year,the Turkana herders from Orum in Lodwar were convicted after pleading guilty and sentenced to serve jail terms in Moroto Government Prison in Northern Uganda.
According to Kitayama who is a member of the Petitions committee, the current administration should intervene to tame the escalating attacks on its people.
“Kenya is a regional leader in terms of peaceful building within the continent as we’ve done alot in stabilizing tranquility in several countries and for that reason it would appear unfair when we appear weak when our own is attacked.As a member of Petitions committee, I want to assure my brothers and sisters from Turkana county that we will give this matter the utmost urgency it requires.We have the International Boundaries Alignment Committee which should intervene to avert diplomatic tiff between concerned countries because land is an emotive factor of production” added Kitayama
Last month, Kenya delayed reopening its border with neighbouring Somalia because of a “wave of attacks” it blamed on the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group according to Interior Cabinet Secretary Professor Kithure Kindiki.
“The government will delay the planned phased-out reopening of the Kenya-Somalia border points to facilitate comprehensive and conclusive handling of the recent wave of terror attacks and cross-border crime,” Kindiki wrote on Twitter.
The first two decades of Kenya’s independence were characterised by efforts to find diplomatic harmony and peace with her neighbours. But there were also moments when rivalry and suspicions took a dangerous twist that left East African nations on the brink of war with each other.
