Jubilee leaders from West Pokot County have threatened not to vote for Jubilee government in the coming elections if they will not stop the frequent killings and intensify security along the border of West Pokot and Turkana counties.
This comes after three people were shot dead on Wednesday at Amolem village by suspected bandits who took off immediately without stealing livestock.
Led by Member of Parliament of Sigor Philip Rotino the leaders condemned the killings and asked the jubilee government to intervene if they still need votes from West Pokot county.
Speaking at the scene where the three were killed Rotino said in the entire Masol ward voter registration is not ongoing because of insecurity and Jubilee government should not expect votes from the region.
He added that the bullets that were used to kill the young men were from the government armory hence suspected the Kenya Police Reservists for colluding with bandits who are also supplied with guns to kill people.
He added that he will not mobilize the people from his constituency to vote for jubilee government because of insecurity and drought that is persistent in the area.
“my people are dying because of insecurity and hunger, elephants are also roaming everywhere killing people , my people are not secure, we are asking the government what do they want us to do if the killings continue ?” he questioned.
He appealed to the government to provide food to the hunger stricken families and buy livestock before they die.
He suspected Jubilee-ODM politics in Turkana county had taken a centre stage in the insecurity issue along the border and asked the leaders from Turkana county to solve their differences and contain their people.
“Some leaders in Turkana are being squeezed by other leaders to disrupt peace along the border so that they can gain political mileage , there is no border issue or cattle rustling, why do they kill and ran away without stealing livestock, I appeal my people to stop retaliation and let the government to deal with the insecurity issue” he said.
West Pokot county police commander Mathews Kuto who was at the scene to collect the bodies from the bushes confirmed the killings stating that the insecurity issue was no longer about cattle rustling because of let the bandits have been raiding villages killing and flee away without stealing livestock.
He added that tension still remain high in the area and security officers have been deployed to mann the border.
“We have lived in peace for more than one year its unfortunate for few criminals to start disrupting the peace , leaders should stop incitement and the two communities should not accept few people to disrupt peace,” he added.
Kuto said more police camps are being set up in the area and police officers are patrolling day and night to curb insecurity. Sekerr ward Mca Thomas Ngolesia asked residents to fish out the wrong doers and the government to investigate the bullets that were used to kill the people if they were from the government.
The area residents called for government intervention on the security issue and asked the government to provide relief food to the affected families. The bodies of the deceased were buried at lomut village .