Kajiado County Commissioner Felix Watakila has banned the transportation of livestock without a movement permit to curb cases of livestock theft that have been rampant in the county.
Speaking during a security meeting with the chiefs and security officers in Kajiado, Watikila noted that the government is keen to ensure that the residents and all their property are secure.
“No one will be allowed to ferry livestock without a movement permit as we have ascertained that the livestock thieves ferry the stolen livestock using trucks to different destinations,” he said.
The county commissioner revealed that so far, 12 cases of cow theft have been reported in Mashuuru, whereby 10 of the suspects have been apprehended and their cases prosecuted in court.
In Isinya sub-county, 13 cases were reported, while 10 suspects have been arrested and their cases are in court.
“Some livestock owners take much time to report livestock theft cases, which in turn becomes difficult for the police and security officers to trace and arrest the suspects and I call upon Kajiado residents to report such cases as soon as they happen for immediate action,” he said.
Watakila added that they noted that most livestock theft cases are between the residents, either by immediate family members, relatives, or employees.
The county commissioner also cautioned area chiefs and individuals who negotiate with the court to drop charges of certain suspects saying it was against the law.
“We are not working with issues to do with clans and tribalism, when a livestock suspect is related to the chief in any way, the chief issues orders to the Officer Commanding Station to release them. Any chief who will be involved in such a situation will be terminated from the office with immediate effect”, warned Watakila.
He added, “It is also unfortunate that individuals are turning this into a business venture, whereby the suspect is forced to pay five cows for each cow that he had stolen in an out-of-court settlement. This practice is sabotaging our efforts in the fight against livestock theft as the suspect will be released immediately and he will continue stealing from others,”.
Livestock theft cases have been rampant in Kajiado County for the past three years, where residents decry that livestock thieves are rendering them poor by stealing all the sheep or cows they find in a homestead at night.
