By Leon Mutwiri.
The government has been urged to implement the Zachary Ogongo commission report in a bid to end cattle rustling along Meru-Isiolo border.
Commission on Administrative Justice (Office of the Ombudsman) Chairperson Florence Kajuju said implementation of the report was key in taming banditry witnessed in the two counties.
Kajuju also blamed land disputes currently being witnessed in Meru, Isiolo and Tharaka Nithi counties.the failure to implement the report for the land disputes on failure to implement the report.
She assured the residents that they are pushing the government to ensure that the report is fully implemented.
Speaking in a Meru hotel after meeting pastoralists from Meru and Tharaka Nithi counties,Kajuju said they have already written to different government ministries to find out why the Zachary Ogongo report has not yet been implemented.
“If the report is implemented the problems being witnessed in the two counties will be resolved. We are pushing the government to implement the report,” said Kajuju.
She wondered why bandits always targets Meru county when their livestock is depleted due to drought or rustling from other communities.
She vowed not to watch in silence as residents suffer and promised to push the government to take action against the culprits.
The late Ogongo’s commission investigated the border dispute back in 2007 and came up with various recommendations to end the frequent clashes, some of which were bloody.
Among the recommendations was the idea of a joint land adjudication team comprising members from the two counties with knowledge of the area.
Cattle rustling is rampant especially in Igembe region that borders Isiolo.
She called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of cattle rustlers in a bid to end the vice.
“There is a lot of tensions between communities involved in cattle rustling. That is why we shall hold a meeting with the county security committee to find a lasting solution to the problem. We wonder why bandits are not prosecuted after being arrested. They should be given stiff penalties to tame the vice and discourage others,” she said.
The former Meru county Woman Representative said they have opened an office in Meru town where residents can report their grievances.
“We want to educate residents and create awareness about our mandate so that they can come and report injustices,” Kajuju said.
