The cohesion commission has started a push for the return of more than 250 guns confiscated from the National Police Reservists in 2019.
The return of the guns is part of the resolutions reached in a peace meeting that took place in Marsabit town on Tuesday.
“We are asking the government to expedite the return of the NPR guns as one of the effective modalities of restoring longstanding peace in Marsabit,” National Cohesion Integration Commission (NCIC) commissioner Farah Maalim said.
Mr Maalim defended the initiative saying that it is one of the key interventions raised during peace meetings held in the county where locals insisted that the police reservists, who live among them, be armed to boost security.
The weapons were confiscated by the government after it emerged that some rogue reservists hired them out to carry out attacks and violence reported in different parts of Marsabit county in recent years.
During the meeting that brought together representatives from the Gabbra, Borana, Burji, Kona and Rendile communities, it was also agreed that all boda boda operations beyond 7pm be banned effective today (Wednesday) as some of them are used to aid criminal activities in the county.
The community representatives agreed to be peace ambassadors among their ethnic communities.
Mr Maalim said that even the local political leaders will be roped in to preach peace across the county.
Longlasting solutions
The latest meeting is a culmination of a series of other meetings, which started after the escalation of ethnic flare-ups in Marsabit town in July.
The flare-ups compelled President Uhuru Kenyatta to intervene by summoning political leaders and the interfaith council to State House, Nairobi.
Commissioner Maalim said he was optimistic that the call to action to break the cycle of violence in the county would be successful.
The peace actors are expected to submit reports on the triggers of ethnic conflicts and possible longlasting solutions to President Kenyatta.
Gabbra community spokesperson Pius Yattani appealed to all the residents to embrace peace saying that the incessant conflicts have derailed the socio-economic growth of the county.
He also cautioned the political aspirants and community councils of elders that have kicked the campaigns for the negotiated democracy in the county not to derail the ongoing peace and healing processes.
Similar rally calls were made by the Borana community spokesperson Halakhe Waqo who lamented that the ethnic conflicts witnessed in the county have continued to impoverish residents by stagnating economic activities and scaring all the potential investors away.
“We are fed up with ethnic conflicts that have been our identity for the last four years in this county,” Mr Waqo said. BY DAILY NATION
