Meru leaders have questioned the government’s reported compensation of Samburu herders for cattle allegedly shot dead during a security operation, demanding similar consideration for families who have lost relatives and livestock to banditry in Meru’s northern grazing zones.
Dr Bundi Karau said people had been killed and cattle stolen in his community in the last three to four years, arguing that the government should also address the losses suffered by Meru families.
He questioned why compensation for the Samburu cattle had been addressed quickly while families of people killed in bandit attacks continued to suffer without comparable intervention.
“The speed at which Samburus have been compensated points to their strong leadership and advocacy. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that because cows are innocent. But I would expect human lives to be compensated even faster. Pray, will these human lives be compensated?” he posed.
Karau recalled how the lower grazing zones were once safe for herders, saying families depended on livestock to educate their children, but the areas had since become dangerous due to persistent attacks.
“I remember my father buying cows during my primary school days and employing herdsmen to graze them in this expanse. That is how many of us went to school,” he said.
He questioned whether the failure to secure comparable support for Meru victims was a leadership or advocacy failure.
Charles Kamwibua, Herders and Peace chairman in Meru, said 156 people had been killed and more than 1,500 cattle stolen from Meru herders in the northern grazing zones over the past three years.
Kamwibua questioned what he termed unequal treatment by the government, saying leaders from Samburu and Kajiado had intervened to secure compensation for their communities following the reported shooting of hundreds of cattle.
He also raised concern over camels grazing on farms in Nata, Naathu area of Igembe North, saying the animals were destroying maize and beans grown by farmers struggling to sustain their livelihoods.
“My appeal is that we maintain peace, but what about our people who were left as widows and orphans? Some children have never returned to school after their breadwinners were brutally killed by cattle rustlers,” he said.
Kamwibua called on Meru leaders to speak out for affected families and farmers, urging the government to consider compensation for livestock stolen during the attacks.
Meru County Director of Special Programmes Lena Kiambi also called on local leaders to intervene and ensure livestock invading farms were driven away.
“Meru people are hardworking and they don’t deserve this act,” Kiambi said.
Akithi MCA and senatorial aspirant Mwenda Ithili questioned why families of Meru victims had not received similar government support.
“How about the victims in Meru who got killed and whose cows got stolen? The families are suffering. Why compensate Samburu and leave Meru? Let the government do something for our victims,” he said.
Ithili cited claims that more than 300 people had been killed and over 15,000 cattle stolen, saying Meru residents should not be treated differently from other Kenyans affected by insecurity.
“Bandits can’t be considered better than the citizens who are obedient to the rule of law. Merus are not from a lesser God,” he said.
