International day of Peace
21 September 2006
12,000 Guns Given Up After Peace Races
The Daily Nation, page 22, 26 September 2006
Some 12,000 illegal guns have been surrendered by the Karamojong of Uganda since last year as a result of several peace athletic events organised by the Tecla Lorupe Peace Foundation.
The Ugandan minister for Primary Education, Mr Peter Lokeris, said the races had been instrumental in making his people give up the illegal firearms.
The Karamojong, who live in northern Uganda, often raided the Pokot and the Turkana in Kenya for cattle. The three communities are pastoralists.
Speaking to the Nation at Turkwel Gorge power station during a race organised by foundation at the weekend, Mr Lokeris challenged the Kenyan Government to encourage the Pokot to surrender illegal guns.
The race is partly sponsored by the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen).
The only way cattle rustling in the area could end was by surrendering the firearms, said Mr Lokeris, adding that in Uganda, the government was tough on those with illegal guns.
He said his government would support any initiatives that promote peace, especially among communities living around the border.
Mr Lokeris said the Ugandan government was still pursuing those with illegal guns and added that they were committed to ensuring peace among the Pokot, the Turkana and the Karamojong.
Apart from using force to retrieve the guns, village elders were also instrumental in naming those with the firearms, he said.
Since the mop-up of illegal guns began, raids in northern Uganda and on the Kenya-Uganda border had reduced, said Mr Lokeris.
The minister added that conflicts that pit communities on the border could only end if the governments of the two countries put in place mechanisms to recover illegal guns.
The MP for Pokot County in Uganda, Mr Francis Kiyonga, said 220 head of cattle that Kenya returned to the Sabiny community were more than the number stolen.
The Sabiny only wanted 40 head of cattle that they claimed were stolen by the Pokots, he said.
"It was a mistake for the Sabiny to get animals that do not belong to them," he said.