The Uganda joint security forces released and handed over six cattle rustling suspects to the Turkana county government in Kenya.
The handover was held at Moroto army barracks in presence of UPDF Third Division Deputy Commander Brig Felix Busizoori and Peter Eripete, the Turkana county secretary and head of public service.
The suspects, who hail from Turkana, were arrested during cordon and search operations in Matheniko where they were engaged in cattle rustling in Karamoja Sub-region between February 20 – 26.
“Following recent persistent security and diplomatic engagements between Ugandan and Kenyan authorities, we officially hand over six suspects in the gesture of EAC partnership as a sign of peaceful co-existence and brotherhood,” said Brig Busizoori.
He urged the Turkana County Government to penalize the suspects for abusing the peaceful co-existence and cross-border security arrangements. “This diplomatic pardon should not be taken for granted as it may lead to impunity. Those who again be violating Ugandan laws will be arrested, arraigned before courts and charged of their offenses,” he warned.
Brig Busizoori noted that eight Ugandans who were arrested alongside the Turkana will be subjected to Uganda’s Courts of law. On his part, Eripete hailed the Ugandan authorities. “I thank the President of the Republic of Uganda, the people and joint security commanders for according Turkana pastoralists another chance to graze their animals in Ugandan territory.”
He noted that officials on either side of the border of the two sister countries continue to work together to find ending solutions on how best the Turkana pastoralists can live in harmony with their host communities in Uganda.
“I categorically, state that we are not allowing anybody to come and cause criminality in the host country, adding that once criminality is caused on whichever side of the border, that suspect is subjected to host country’s laws,” said Eripete.
The Karamojong and Turkana pastoralists have co-existed and shared water and pasture in the grazing belts in Uganda as guided and spelled out in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two sister EAC countries. However, some armed Turkana elements have continued to violate the much-desired MoU since they engage themselves in criminal and rustling activities in Uganda.
“These continued violations among others are the reason why both Ugandan and Kenyan authorities meet to discuss, implement and expedite security measures for peaceful co-existence and brotherhood in order to foster socio-economic transformation and development within neighboring pastoralist communities of EAC,” said the UPDF spokesperson.
Comments are closed.