Kenya Arms Pokot

Kenya will not disarm its pastoralist Pokot population before she has secured its borders with Uganda reports David Ochami in Nairobi. A minister in the Office of the President in the Kenya government told the press on Friday that Kenya has armed its Pokot people so that they can protect themselves against "foreign aggression." Marsden Madoka, a retired army major, said Nairobi began to arm the Pokot after the latter suffered a spate of armed attacks from a 'neighboring country.' He did not mention Uganda although it was evident that he was referring to Uganda's pastoralists tribes who often engage in mutual attacks with Kenya's Pokot. the only international frontier within Pokot country is that separating Kenya and Uganda. Until the 1970's, sections of Kenya's Pokot country was Uganda's territory. The minister told the press that cross border insecurity does not favour the disarmament of the Pokot. Kenya's East African Standard newspaper over the weekend quoted him as saying that the Pokot were armed by the government for their own security but they had turned fire on their neighbours. The paper reported the minister as saying, "The government will secure a common border before disarmament is addressed." Ends