Okungu, ask Kenya to disarm the Pokot
Jul 29, 2007
EDITOR—In his article “Only the EA federation can save kenya from tribalism†is Jerry Okungu calling for war between the two East African states of Kenya and Uganda? I have never heard of Ugandan Pokots. Pokots are Kenyans.
EDITOR—In his article “Only the EA federation can save kenya from tribalism†is Jerry Okungu calling for war between the two East African states of Kenya and Uganda? I have never heard of Ugandan Pokots. Pokots are Kenyans.
And the Shiftas were not Somali bandits but guerilla units that fought for the unification of the Kenyan Somali province of Garissa with Somalia. The Shifta Somali insurgency started as soon as Kenya attained independence in 1963.
This is Okungu’s statement: “Why has Kenya never bothered to retaliate against these cross-border territorial violations?â€
He forgets that the Pokots have always been armed, so that even other Kenyans travelling through their territory have to be extremely careful, otherwise they may not escape with their lives.
Instead of Okungu questioning why his country has never entered another country to fight, he should advise his government to disarm the Pokots and the Turkana, who enter Uganda regularly armed to the teeth, to steal cattle as well as to graze them there, usually when Kenya goes dry due to droughts. Vast areas of Kenya are actually semi-arid. Moreover, the Turkana cattle rustlers probably have more sophisticated weapons than the Karimojong.
For example they brought down a helicopter carrying a Kenyan provincial commissioner, (Ishmael Chelanga,) killing him and other people years ago. Why doesn’t Okungu call for disarming armed Kenyan warriors— the Turkana and Pokots, the way Uganda is disarming the Karimojong?
Name withheld
And the Shiftas were not Somali bandits but guerilla units that fought for the unification of the Kenyan Somali province of Garissa with Somalia. The Shifta Somali insurgency started as soon as Kenya attained independence in 1963.
This is Okungu’s statement: “Why has Kenya never bothered to retaliate against these cross-border territorial violations?â€
He forgets that the Pokots have always been armed, so that even other Kenyans travelling through their territory have to be extremely careful, otherwise they may not escape with their lives.
Instead of Okungu questioning why his country has never entered another country to fight, he should advise his government to disarm the Pokots and the Turkana, who enter Uganda regularly armed to the teeth, to steal cattle as well as to graze them there, usually when Kenya goes dry due to droughts. Vast areas of Kenya are actually semi-arid. Moreover, the Turkana cattle rustlers probably have more sophisticated weapons than the Karimojong.
For example they brought down a helicopter carrying a Kenyan provincial commissioner, (Ishmael Chelanga,) killing him and other people years ago. Why doesn’t Okungu call for disarming armed Kenyan warriors— the Turkana and Pokots, the way Uganda is disarming the Karimojong?
Name withheld