The Chairman of the Kenya Livestock Marketing Council, Dubat Amey has challenged governors from the 15 pastoralist counties to ensure that the resolutions reached during the two days summit held in Garissa town are fully implemented.
Speaking to the press in Garissa town on Friday, Amey said the governors must take the lead in ensuring that all resolutions arrived at the meeting are implemented for the benefit of the common mwananchi.
The counties that make the summit are Turkana, West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, Marasabit, Isiolo, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Lamu, Tana River, Narok, Kajiado and Samburu.
Amey who was among the 600 delegates who converged at Garissa hotel said that issues discussed during the summit covered key areas that are common in the 15 counties and if implemented to the letter, it will turn around the socio-economic well-being of area residents.
He said peace should top the list of their priorities adding that pastoralists have for decades suffered perennial conflicts occasioned mainly by cattle rustling, grazing grounds, and water that has led to loss of lives and properties.
Amey regretted the emerging thorny issue over boundaries that he noted should be carefully handled as it could escalate into full-blown conflict.
The chairman said conflicts between the Turkana and the Pokots, and Baringo and the Pokots should also be addressed by the leaders in collaboration with the national government.
“You can never talk of social-economic development of a region without a peaceful environment. Our biggest undoing has always been conflicts over resources. We cannot continue like this year in year out. Our leaders must take the lead in finding home grown solutions to these conflicts,” he said.
Amey said the unity exhibited during the summit by the leaders in attendance should be cascaded to the grassroots.
“I can assure you that everything else will fall into place if we tackle perennial insecurity because this has been our biggest undoing,” Amey said.
Among the resolutions reached and passed include issues touching on peace and security, census and referendum, economy and livestock, equalization fund, women, boundaries, education and land and natural resources.
The leaders promised to invest in counter-radicalization measures and demanded national government investment in the same as one way of enhancing peace.
They also resolved to initiate legislative framework to include county governments in matters of security as well as spearhead policy and legislative agenda to eliminate cattle rustling within the pastoralist region.
On the forthcoming census, the leaders agreed to educate and mobilize their entire population to come out and be counted.
They resolved to focus on investment in the livestock sector, while also making room for the development of other sectors in order to grow the livestock sector.
The resolutions were co-read by Mandera governor, Ali Roba who is the Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC) Chair and National assembly Majority Leader and Garissa Township MP, Aden Duale who is the Patron of the Pastoralist Parliamentary Group.
By Jacob Songok
