The National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula has called on the administrators from Meru County to liaise with the national offices in Nairobi in order to end the prevailing cattle rustling in the region.
Speaking Saturday at Mikinduri in Tigania Central during a fundraiser to support Tigania Women Sacco, the Speaker said it was sad that the outdated practice was going on in the county and the local administrators were not doing much to eradicate it.
“I want to call on the local administrators and all the security officers to ensure they stay in touch with the higher offices in order to ensure challenges hindering the fight against cattle rustling are addressed,” said Wetangula.
He added that it was not pleasing to hear the locals and especially elected leaders lamenting in public as a result of the continued vice as this was lowering their dignity.
“We have a son from this region Prof. Kithure Kindiki who since he got into the Interior Ministry has put off these practices in many parts of this country. I will talk to him so that he can also focus more on this region,” said Mr Wetangula.
He asked the chiefs and the residents to be vigilant adding that the agents of the cattle rustlers were living in their midst and sometimes slept within the targeted areas during the eves of the attacks.
“These things can hardly take place if there are no agents amongst you. It is therefore your responsibility to question the intentions of all the visitors you find in your areas as this is your right. As you know, the government which you contributed a lot to form means well for you and the security being enjoyed in Nairobi must be here and every other part of the country so that you can also enjoy being a Kenyan,” the Speaker said.
He added, “Every Kenyan should enjoy the fruits of their sweat without being disturbed by any other person”.
Tigania East MP Mpuru Aburi said some communities had taken Meru County to be an area of unlimited access where they could get cattle whenever they felt like.
“If they feel like drinking alcohol or something else, they get to our area and take away a good number of our cows which they later sell to satisfy their financial needs,” said Aburi adding that surprisingly, the rustling usually takes place during the daytime.
He blamed security personnel in the area of laxity in their work adding that they concentrated on security meetings rather than following up the stolen cattle.
Tigania West MP Dr. John Mutunga said last week on Wednesday, cattle rustlers invaded an area in his constituency and stole 517 heads of cattle before getting back to the same area the following day where they stole some more 300 animals.
This, he added, was a great mockery to his people and the security apparatus in the region and should not be taken lightly. So far, he added, none of these animals has been recovered.
“What we are demanding for as the people of Tigania is an operation in the neighbouring counties where all the animals will be taken to a neutral field so that we can identify ours since they have conspicuous marks,” said Dr Mutunga.
Igembe South MP John Paul Mwirigi also supported the idea of carrying out an operation so that owners could recover their animals and use them for the intended purpose.
“We keep animals so that we can benefit from them and therefore it is not right when we allow others to steal them and get away with it,” said Mwirigi adding that they were in support of Kindiki’s work but wanted him to put more effort into the Northern grazing zone.
By Dickson Mwiti
