STATEMENT BY RT. HON RAILA ODINGA ON THE SITUATION IN KERIO VALLEY

STATEMENT BY RT. HON RAILA ODINGA ON THE SITUATION IN KERIO VALLEY:
I wish to draw the attention of the President of the Republic of Kenya H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta and the Jubilee administration, to the carnage and lawlessness that has gone on in the Kerio Valley since May 2016, between the Pokot and the Marakwet and which is getting intense with each passing day.

Chaos in Kerio Valley is threatening the gains registered in the region in the past decade. Schools have been closed, children are being orphaned, the elderly are fleeing their homes and farms lie abandoned. Life has come to a stand still for the people of Kerio Valley while the National Government remains silent.

I recognize that on their own, the Pokot and Marakwet communities have done all they can to bring peace to themselves through their elders, community-based organizations, youth and women groups. I appeal to the two communities to keep pushing for peaceful co-existence.

I also appeal to the Pokot and the Marakwet to appreciate themselves as victims of years of State neglect, massacres and marginalization. They should therefore stop fighting each other and instead jointly confront the National Government with demands for their rightful share of development and compensation as recommended by the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission.

The leaders of the Marakwet and Pokot communities need to break their silence that appears imposed by party affiliation and speak out loudly and boldly on the tragedy that has befallen their people.

On their own however, the Pokot and the Marakwet can only do so much for their peace and security. They need the support of the National Government acting in a manner that is fair and neutral to both communities.

That support by the National Government is the missing link in the raging conflict. Security agencies on the ground seem incapable, immobilized and unwilling to provide the much-needed support and are content with just supervising the anarchy.

It is our hope that the National Government has not given up also on providing security to our citizens. We need a firm, fair and honest hand of the National Government in Kerio Valley with immediate effect.

The President cannot afford to give up on a role that is distinctly his, of providing security to all Kenyans in every part of the country.
RT HON RAILA ODINGA, EGH
LONDON,
OCTOBER 22, 2016