Pastoralist communities from Chari and Ngaremara wards in Isiolo County, Waso Ward in Samburu County and Laisamis Ward in Marsabit County have signed a peace agreement aimed at ending years of inter-community conflict along their shared borders.
The pact follows a three-day stakeholder forum convened by the Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC) under the Resilient Approaches in Natural Rangeland Ecosystems (RANGE) programme.
The initiative brought together leaders, elders, morans, women, and youth from the region to chart a new path toward sustainable peace.
Community representatives emphasised the need for collective responsibility to break the cycle of cattle rustling and revenge killings.
They advocated for community policing, intelligence sharing, and collaboration with government agencies to identify and isolate criminal elements within their communities.
Chari Ward MCA Mejja Golicha, and Samburu elder Joseph Lekalkuli raised concerns about a notorious hideout in “Lantana,” Samburu East, which they said harbours armed criminals from multiple counties.
They urged security agencies to dismantle the hideout and monitor the return of young men posing as herders.
Isiolo County Commissioner Geoffrey Omoding criticised police officers who retreat during raids involving armed bandits, arguing that such actions embolden criminals.
He urged officers to request reinforcements, including aerial support, and revealed that the government had armoured vehicles and was prepared to use advanced weapons, including bombs, to neutralise armed threats.
FCDC’s RANGE Programme Manager, Saiyana Lempara, expressed hope that with full involvement of all stakeholders, including morans, women, and minority groups, the peace initiative would succeed.
He urged every community member to play an active role in securing lasting peace.
Josephine Muli, a representative of the Turkana community in Ngaremara, called for stronger investment in education, saying schooling is the most effective way to prevent cattle rustling and other criminal behaviour.
She encouraged mothers to engage more closely with their sons to deter them from joining criminal groups.
The peace agreement was signed by representatives of the Borana, Samburu, Turkana and Rendille communities, as well as county and national government officials, with religious leaders present as witnesses.
