Samburu cattle raids continue

Pambazuka – Samburu cattle raids continue.

Samburu cattle raids continue

Mike Rainy

2009-07-16, Issue 442

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/57786

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Cattle raids continue in Samburu East, writes Mike Rainy, but by the time these attacks come to the attention of the media and the world press, there will be no more cattle left.

The last attacks at Sera near Laisamis (Samburu East) carried Somali raiders in Land cruisers, and carried around 1000 cattle out and South from Kom in lorries. (Samburu East). Our Samburu East MP Raphael Letimalo gave a press conference on Monday 6 July, which has not yet been published here in Kenya.

Late Monday night Samburu Murran successfully defended their people and cattle from a similar raid SE of Lerata. (Samburu East). We have tried to get the word out. For the last nine days the death of Michael Jackson has dominated media attention.

And now this clear effort by Ali Abdi in today’s EA Standard Newspaper aims to really confuse people:

‘Samburu (East) has lost around 6000 head of cattle in this area since 21 March 2009 in GOK facilitated raids that demonstrate the culture of impunity that has taken hold of our law enforcement branches, but have nothing to do with the flawed election of December 2007.’

Ali Abdi is on a clear mission to mislead people. His article is a just cover for the attacks that have already taken place so far and what is worse also acts as a smoke screen of disinformation for those already planned and still to come.

Ali Abdi’s article is a chilling reminder that these raids are being planned far from the killing fields of Samburu East, by people who understand the importance of disinformation.

The fighting and cattle thefts have been overwhelmingly in Samburu East, not Isiolo.

Early last month Samburu murran were successful in winning back over 600 cattle that had already been taken by police and Somali and Boran raiders, earlier. The fierce gun battle that they won took place South of Saba Game reserve on the Ngare Mara River in Isiolo district.

Since then the GoK aided attacks against Samburu have escalated once again. By the time these attacks come to the attention of the media and the world press, there will be no more cattle left in Samburu East.

Let us not forget that these cynical raids come at a time when semi-arid Kenya is already experiencing one of the worst droughts of the Century, when our livestock markets have collapsed, and when Kenya has a Grand Coalition Government which seems able to deal with any crisis affecting its people.