The political leadership in Marsabit County has joined hands in efforts to cultivate trust and understanding between the various communities living in Marsabit.
Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) said that they had joined hands with the governor and other elected leaders for a united front in preaching unity and peaceful coexistence between communities.
In a joint press statement, the MCAs noted with gratitude that the inter-ethnic conflicts that have haunted the county and especially Saku constituency had diminished and appealed to Marsabit residents to love one another.
Kargi ward MCA Christopher Ogom, the chairman of the Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Committee and who read the statement said that the members have committed themselves to build sustainable peace and promote harmonious coexistence between communities.
“We are therefore calling on everyone in Marsabit to end all forms of animosity and to live with each other as brothers and sisters peacefully,” they said.
They lauded communities living in Saku, Forolle, Elle Dimtu and areas along the Kenya-Ethiopia border which were previously marked as security hotspots for embracing peace.
The elected leaders regretted that two incidents that occurred in Segel and Kimbinye in which three lives were lost at the beginning of this week occurred after the county had experienced relative calm.
The state of insecurity, they observed, had claimed an uncountable number of innocent lives, disrupted lives and livelihoods besides rendering many residents destitute.
“Every aspect of our lives from schools, business and services have been crippled by these conflicts,” they pointed out, adding that the initiative by the government and other actors to reconcile and rehabilitate factions in intermittent ethnic fights was commendable.
They further urged the government to hasten the reinstatement of Kenya Police Reservists whom they claimed have already been vetted saying the service would strengthen the on-going peace restoration initiative.
According to the Assembly, civic education on the importance of peace and harmonious coexistence between the local pastoralist communities was important.
The MCAs would conduct peace building meetings to all communities across the county starting today.
Gorbo ward MCA Edin Adi warned that the Assembly would not allow insecurity to creep back in Marsabit County.
He asked the authorities concerned to firmly deal with perpetrators of violence and urged the few who were still engaging in cases of lawlessness to emulate the majority of Marsabit residents who have resolved to live in harmony.
By Sebastian Miriti
