Stephen Chelelgo, 64, was a renowned livestock farmer in the pasture-rich Ng’elecha in Baringo South, with hundreds of goats and cows.
Coming from a pastoralist community where owning a large number of livestock is a source of respect, he had earned himself a name.
But his riches were wiped out in 2013, when armed criminals invaded the area, including Loromoru, Ramacha, Katilomwo and Tandar villages, and stole thousands of livestock, including all of his herd.
Several people were also killed, including a child who was herding animals in Tandar. Several homes were torched, schools vandalised and their solar panels carted away, forcing thousands of locals to flee the villages for good.
For Chelelgo, it was not the first time his homestead had been raided. It had happened countless times, forcing him and other villagers to flee until normality returned. But in 2013, the attacks were so fierce that they vowed not to go back anymore.
Before they deserted the volatile border area, he lived in Loromuru. Raiders attacked again, forcing them to move to Ramacha, Katilomwo and Tandar.
Villages completely deserted
All these villages are now completely deserted, with what used to be houses and social amenities now overgrown with vegetation. The area has become a hideout for armed criminals, who sneak into the villages, kill, steal animals and flee into the dreaded valley in Ng’elecha and Korkoron and the Ramacha hills.
Other deserted villages are Kapindasum, Soke, Arabal, Kasiela, Korkoron, Lamaiywe and Kapkechir.
The region has rugged terrain, with hills and valleys providing a haven for bandits from where they ambush security personnel and civilians.
Before they occupied the deserted villages, the criminals vandalised boreholes, houses, schools and structures at shopping centres before looting and torching them, to instil fear in former residents, who will not think of going back there anymore.
Speaking on Wednesday at a peace forum in Lamaiywe, Baringo South, which was led by County Commissioner Abdirisack Jaldesa and other local leaders, the displaced locals vented their anger over the perennial attacks.
“I have not stepped in Ngelecha village since I was displaced seven years ago. At my age, I have been rendered a refugee, with my nine children hosted in people’s homes in Mochongoi, more than 40km away,” Mr Chelelgo said.
“I was very rich before my entire livelihood was wiped out by the attackers, making me dependent on well-wishers including getting school fees.”
The elder, who gave a long lecture to the government officials, claimed residents were tired of the numerous peace forums that had not produced the desired results for decades. He said bandit attacks had increased, with some staged immediately after the peace meetings.
“We have had countless peace meetings over the years, with no meaningful solution found. Despite the forums, I am still displaced, showing that we are still far from restoring order. Unless you have nothing different to say, we are tired of empty promises,” he said.
The deserted villages, he said, were turning into a paradise for bandits, with a large swathe of the volatile Mukutani ward abandoned.
“Even what used to be roads cannot be seen anymore because the area is overgrown with shrubs. Going to the area is a death trap as it is inhabited by the aggressors,” Mr Chelelgo said.
Job Kiptoo, displaced from Korkoron in December last year, was among 3,000 locals who moved to Kabel, Kaptombes and Mochongoi villages for their safety.
“We are now displaced, with no food, shelter or schooling for our children. In just one day, our lives were disrupted by the criminals, who not only stole from us but also made sure that we have nowhere to call home,” he said.
“We can see from far away smoke billowing from what used to be our houses. Our farm produce in granaries were torched so that we do not think of ever going back.”
“This is not the livestock raid as it used to be. It has now transformed into something else. They kill people to instil fear and force them out of the area so that they can settle in the abandoned areas.”
In the border area in Mukutani, home to the minority Ilchamus and the Pokot communities, more than 15 villages have been deserted since 2005 due to incessant attacks.
Abandoned villages renamed
Some of the abandoned villages, area Chief Benjamin Lecher said, were taken over by the neighbouring community and renamed, with new schools emerging with the new names.
For instance, Rine has been renamed Plesian, Lendorok to Ponpon, Ilmeut to Chepkenti, Kabukoki to Matunda and Lontiani to Murkutwo.
“What is this if not invasion? It seems the neighbouring community wanted to portray that the area as belonging to them. Before the invasion, houses were looted and razed,” Mr Lecher said.
In 2005, locals fled and the remaining few settled at Mukutani shopping centre for their safety, which is also nearer to the security camps set up to bring order to the troubled region. But attackers still stage raids.
Three locations in Mukutani – Ruggus, Arabal and Mukutani – are almost empty of people.
Dominic Kateiya raised concern that of the dozens of villages in Ruggus location, Noosukro is the only one with a few people.
“We have complained about invasions by the neighbouring community since time immemorial, with no amicable solution,” he said.
“As we speak, bandits continue to expand their territories and they are now in Mochongoi, where there was no insecurity.”
Residents of Baringo North are also suffering in a similar way, with several villages abandoned since 2008.
The deserted villages in Saimo Soi and Bartabwa wards include Kaborion, Kiplelon, Kakinatya, Kangorok, Barsuswo, Kamwetio, Chekesin, Chepkew and Natan.
Residents left and are hosted by relatives in safer villages, with most of them impoverished after their livestock were stolen by bandits, who now herd in the abandoned areas.
Richard Chepchomei, an elder from Chemoe, regretted that dozens of people were killed before the mass exodus, with boreholes damaged and schools and houses razed.
“Some of the locals have seen their stolen livestock being sold in markets in the region while newcomers graze in abandoned areas. It is very sad because most affected families are now very poor and their children have dropped out of school,” Mr Chepchomei said.
With the perennial problem, locals are desperate and have lost hope in the government, with some threatening to arm themselves if an amicable solution is not found.
Recently, East Africa Legislative Assembly member Florence Jematia Sergon allegedly threatened to arm Baringo residents to fend off bandits.
Citing lack of insecurity in the area, Ms Sergon was caught on a video clip that has gone viral threatening to start a funds drive to aid the purchase of guns. She faces charges of incitement.
Also facing incitement charges is Mr Joseph Tarus, a Mombasa-based lawyer and Baringo South parliamentary aspirant. He has also recorded statements at the DCI office in Kabarnet.
The duo allegedly incited locals at an interdenominational prayer session in Lamaiywe, Baringo South, claiming that residents should acquire guns to defend themselves against bandits.
Ms Sergon said the government had failed to redeploy national police reservists to restore order in the troubled area.
"We need a paybill number now to collect funds to purchase guns. If people can afford motorcycles, then they can afford the arms as well. Local leaders should also allocate funds to the same to solve this menace if the government is (reluctant) to hear our cries," she said.
Mochongoi MCA Kipruto Kimosop hit out at the government for putting a lot of energy in arresting local leaders instead of the armed criminals wreaking havoc.
"The government should avoid sideshows of arresting local leaders who are (expressing) their displeasure. We are disappointed because we appealed for a massive disarmament and redeployment of police reservists in the affected areas but none has been fulfilled despite the continued killings," Mr Kimosop said.
No longer believe in government
"The residents are so desperate and don't believe in the government anymore. As we speak, dozens of villages and schools are deserted in this century. It is very disappointing to say the least."
On Friday, during a security meeting in Nakuru County with leaders from bandit-prone Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot counties, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i ordered a security operation in the troubled Kerio Valley to flush out armed bandits and restore order.
This will be among several disarmament drives in the North Rift aimed at recovering stolen livestock, flushing out armed criminals and seizing illegal arms.
In a 2013 study, “Guns, land and votes”, Clemens Greiner concluded that in the game plans of local politicians, territorial gains meant more voters and increased political esteem locally, even though, nationally, those openly endorsing or approving such tactics attract vociferous criticism.
In the run-up to every election, inter-community conflicts erupt in disputed areas allegedly over limited water or pasture, with one community invading another’s land and igniting animosity.
In the North Rift, there are disputes over administrative boundaries, exclusive access to land and even attempts to establish or safeguard ethnically homogeneous electoral areas.
As elections approach, bandit attacks and livestock thefts escalate.
Warring communities also take advantage of the situation to claim disputed areas, with each demanding that territories be demarcated.
Mr Augustine Lokwang, a security and peace expert from the region, noted that politics for a long time has been a key root cause of violence in the North Rift including Samburu, Baringo, Laikipia, Turkana, West Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet counties.
He said the politics of incitement, boundary feuds, protecting political positions and devolution have been the main causes of instability in the region.
“There is a perception that if you use violence to displace the community(ies) in shared boundary areas, you can attract more resources in terms of revenue sharing and the basis is once your people occupy areas where people were displaced, the process of land demarcation comes in and they get to get administrative and political units, leading to a county getting an expanded land mass, which is an index of the revenue sharing formula,” he said.
But he said this has led to the creation of multiple political administrative units that have also become a major cause of conflicts among communities.
“In the disputed Kapedo, for instance, there is a ward named Kapedo on the Turkana side, and another one on the Baringo side in the disputed area,” he said.
“All these are evidence of politically induced violence and conflicts in the region, a clear indication that politics is a major player in the incessant attacks.”
In Silale location in the same area, there are two chiefs, one in Turkana East sub-county and the other in Tiaty sub-county, representing both communities.
It is the same case in the disputed Mukutani, on the boundary of Baringo South and Tiaty sub-counties. Mukutani is at the centre of perennial conflicts between the minority Ilchamus and the Pokot communities.
The rift between the two communities has constantly widened, with governors in the region and national leaders pointing an accusing finger at each.
Mr Lokwang said security is at multiple levels, ranging from the need to garner political mileage to ethnic interests where political leaders push to have their communities protected (armed). He added that most conflicts in the region are ethno-political.
“You are tempted to ask, ‘Who could be funding these armed criminals wreaking havoc, (and) where are they getting the firearms and ammunition’? If the government systems are really working, such issues should be known but due to politics, such vital information is swept under the carpet,” he noted.
He cited the example of former Tiaty MP Asman Kamama, who was the chairperson of the National Assembly’s Security Committee. Despite his position, there were rampant cases of insecurity in the region, with his community accused of being the aggressors.
Mr Lokwang said that when a politician was implicated in fuelling conflict by inciting one community against another or funding criminals, no significant action was taken, because security agencies believed he was a well-connected elite.
“You can also take, for instance, Joshua Waiganjo, who was accused of masquerading as a police officer in the North Rift region,” he said.
“The existence of such cartels is connected and runs the tactical guys doing the raid and also collects the spoils of the raids. You might not be surprised that such fellows are those benefiting from the sale of stolen livestock.”
Politicians, he said, also owned large herds of cattle in the disputed areas and arm young men who herd the livestock with the claim that they are protecting themselves from the perceived enemy.
National Police Reservists (NPRs), he said, have also aggravated the conflicts, because the government cannot account for the ammunition used, and some use their weapons to commit crimes.
“Imbalances in the recruitment of NPRs have also drawn criticism from locals, who have (repeatedly) accused the government of arming a community against the other, leading to some being vulnerable to attacks,” he noted.
