President Museveni has ordered that no Turkana pastoralist should cross from Kenya into Uganda with a gun, saying they will be arrested and court-martialled.
In his Executive Order dated May 19, 2023, Mr Museveni said while he has allowed the Turkana pastoralists into Uganda to water and graze their animals in Karamoja, the group has continued to sow mayhem by raiding cattle, food and killing people.
“The Turkana must never come to Uganda with guns. Anybody who does so, must be arrested and charged with terrorism by a Court Martial,” he warned.
“On account of our Pan-Africanist ideology, we have allowed our Turkana brothers and sisters to settle in Karamoja around the Kobebe dam, where the problem of water has been solved. However, in Kenya, they have not carried out disarmament. That is their issue,” he said.
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“However, long ago, I ordered these Turkanas to never bring guns in Uganda. They should just come and graze their cattle minus being armed. They, however, do not listen to this. Instead, they raid our disarmed Karimonjong, kill people, rape, etc. They are said to have raided 2245 cattle from the Jie. They killed our 3 (three), Geologists, 1 (one) Officer and a soldier, that were guarding them. I now direct that this Turkana nonsense, must stop,” he added.
The President ordered the Kenyan government to hand over the Turkana who killed Ugandan geologists as well as compensation.
“The killers of the Geologists, must be handed to us for trial for murder. The guns were handed back to the Government of Uganda, but not the killers. In the alternative, the killers, with the co-ordination of the Governments of Kenya and Uganda, should kukaraba (blood-settlement — mato-put), to the families of the deceased. The price of the kukaraba cannot be the traditional one, of a few cows. It must be adjusted to the full value of what the deceased would have contributed in his/her life, which life was cut-short by those criminals,” he said.
“Through the co-ordination of the Governments of Kenya and Uganda, the Turkana must bring back to the victim communities the number of cattle equal Turkanas to never bring guns in Uganda. They should just come and graze their cattle minus being armed.”
