Details Of Planned Security Operation In Laikipia Following Killings

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 6- The National Security Council met Monday in State House Nairobi and declared Laikipia a disturbed and a security operation area.

The council meeting came two days after an earlier one by the National Security Advisory Committee.

Both meetings were aimed at arriving at a solution to armed herders who have invaded private ranches and are on a killing spree.

The gang at the weekend torched more than 40 houses in the area. They had on Friday, September 3 killed two people in an attack increasing to more than 10 people who have died in the past three months in conflict-related to grazing fields.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said an operation will be conducted at the Laikipia Nature Conservancy.

A dusk to dawn curfew was declared in the area.

Those with animals grazing in the ranches were given 48 hours to remove them.

Officials said politicians, a Judge, senior military, and police officers are among those who have illegally moved livestock into Laikipia conservancy.

“All leaders including politicians, businessmen, public officers and others who have illegally moved their livestock into the conflict zone to remove the same from there within 48 hours,” said Matiang’i in a statement.

The meeting at State House was chaired by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Matiang’i had in July visited the area and ordered the herders to move out. But they refused.

Matiang’i also announced an immediate takeover by security teams of the 80,000- acre Kilmon farm that is owned by the government and that has been a theatre of deadly clashes between armed herders from Laikipia and the neighbouring counties.

A GSU camp will be established at the parcel to create a buffer zone between the two warring sides.

The CS further ordered private ranchers and pastoralists to register agreements on access to pastures with the county government beginning next month to enable the government to enforce the pacts and arbitrate bloody disputes around their implementation.

“If you have an agreement with ranchers, that’s OK. But for the government to be able to provide security, we want such agreements recorded and the terms registered with the County Government to help resolve disputes around them,” he said.

To help pastoralists in the county ease the pressure on grazing pastures and water points, Matiang’i further announced that the Kenya Meat Commission (KMC), which is under the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), will begin buying around 1,000 livestock weekly from next week in an off-take deal brokered by the Government.

Areas under government surveillance include the Laikipia Nature Conservancy owned by conservationist Kuki Gullman in Laikipia West, government-owned ranches; ADC Mutara ranch in Laikipia West and 80,000 – acre Kilmon farm, Mugie Ranch, Loisaba, and Kirimon Nature National Reserve in Laikipia North.

Recently in a meeting with Rift Valley Regional Coordinator George Natembeya, area leaders faulted the government decision to withdrawn National Police Reservists saying armed bandits took advantage of the vacuum to terrorize residents.

Natembeya however announced plans by the government to redeploy the police reservists in a bid to reinforce the security team already running an operation on the ground particularly in areas classified as volatile.

“The motives of the armed criminals are to displace residents from their land…the government will however not allow this,” said Natembeya.