The Uganda joint security forces have handed over suspected Turkana cattle rustlers to the Kenyan government after being held in jail for a month.
The exercise was done at Moroto army barracks, where Uganda security side was led by Brig Gen Felix Busizoori, 3 Division deputy commander of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) who handed over the six suspects to his counterpart, Mr. Peter Eripete County Secretary and head of public service, Turkana County Government in the Republic of Kenya.
Brig Gen Felix Busizoori, the 3 Division deputy commander of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), led the Uganda security side during the exercise held at Moroto Army barracks where he handed over the suspects to Mr. Peter Eripete, the county secretary and head of public service for the Turkana County Government in the Republic of Kenya.
“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,” Brig Busizoori said.
He added, “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 offences”.
The Turkana suspects were arrested alongside their kinship, the native Matheniko in different cordon and search operations where they were engaged in cattle rustling in Karamoja Sub region between 20th Feb to 26 Feb 2023.
The native eight (8) Matheniko who were arrested alongside the Turkana will be subjected to Uganda’s Courts of law.
Mr. Peter Eripete the county secretary and head of public service expressed gratitude for Ugandan authorities for the good gesture.
“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 Mr. Eripete.
Representing Kenya were; Brigade Commanders, Mr. Lomodo Tulele, Turkana County Legal Officer, Maj Abdullah Kalicha, Kenya Liaison Officer to Uganda and senior officers.
The Karamojong and Turkana pastoralists have co-existed and shared water and pasture in the grazing belts in Uganda as guided and spelt 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. This continued violations among others, is 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 pastoralists communities of EAC.