30 killed in cattle rustling incident

Despite several agreements between Uganda and Kenya to disarm pastoralists, cattle rustling along the border persisted this month, causing heavy human suffering. Kenyan police said members of Kenya's Pokot community at the weekend attacked three villages in Kapchorwa district, eastern Uganda, killing over 30 people and torching some 300 houses. They also stole cattle, and over 2,000 people were left homeless, local media reports said. Kenyan police spokesman King'ori Mwangi said such raids were common in the region during the current season when many communities were re-stocking their cattle. "These are the ones to be slaughtered when the young men are to be circumcised. So there are a lot of attacks," King'ori told IRIN. "In these pastoralist communities, the men and boys go out to look for pasture for the animals," he added. "The women and the children who remain behind have very little to eat. If you steal from them, they will become destitute. It is a whole problem of underdevelopment." Local leaders in Kapchorwa district have blamed the attack on the Ugandan government's decision to remove some 400 home guards to join the Ugandan army, leaving the area vulnerable to attacks. The residents called on the government to give them guns to protect themselves, the Ugandan 'New Vision' government daily said. However, resident district commissioner, Tezira Jamwa, said the attack was a response to similar raids by the Sabiny from Uganda on the Pokot earlier in the month, in which they stole over 200 head of cattle, the paper added.