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RHMFIUU/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NAIROBI 000551 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.12958: N /A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KCRM KCOR KE
 
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT RAIDS SAMBURU CATTLE, STAGE SET FOR 
MORE TRIBAL CONFLICT 
 
REF: 08 NAIROBI 2721 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. In response to complaints of the theft of 560 head of 
livestock by Samburu raiders, Kenyan security forces staged 
a major livestock roundup operation in and around Samburu 
District at the end of February that netted a total of 
approximately 4,000 animals, none of which reportedly 
belonged to the complainants.  Instead of returning the 
animals, police reportedly sold and/or distributed them to 
people who claimed to have been victims of animal thefts by 
the Samburu.  Tensions in the area are high: livestock 
raiders have reportedly injured and killed a number of 
people; security forces may have used excessive force to 
obtain the livestock; and non-Samburu tribes have 
reportedly accepted or purchased animals that do not belong 
to them.  This sets the stage for future Samburu raids 
against the Garre (ethnic Somalis) and Meru, a prospect 
made more alarming in light of the large numbers of small 
arms (legal and illegal) in the area.  We are following the 
issue closely in light of the complaints received by AmCits 
with connections to the area, the presence of a USAID- 
funded project in the eye of the storm, and our ongoing 
efforts to help end the violent cycle of livestock raids 
and counter-attacks in upper Eastern Province.  End 
Summary. 
 
---------------------------- 
Livestock Raids: Nothing New 
---------------------------- 
 
¶2. Livestock raiding has been a centerpiece of activity 
among the youth of Kenya's herding tribes since time 
immemorial.  As Kenya modifies its governance structure to 
transform into a modern state, state mechanisms (like 
police and courts) are gradually replacing traditional 
mechanisms (like elders' councils) to manage conflict and 
insecurity.  This transition is far from complete in 
Kenya's arid and semi-arid areas, however, since state 
security forces have never provided a presence robust 
enough to make a difference (reftel).  This leaves a 
substantial security gap. 
 
¶3. The lack of an effective police presence in Kenya's more 
remote areas has been a bone of contention between those 
who prefer to have state security forces deal with 
livestock raiders and government officials who lack the 
resources and skills to carry out their mandate.  The 
recent events in Samburu District show that the police are 
no panacea to the complex problems faced by those living in 
Kenya's arid lands.  Generally speaking, police are ill- 
equipped, poorly paid, and have little to no training to 
deal with such situations. 
 
------------------------------- 
VIPs Complain, Government Acts? 
------------------------------- 
 
¶4. Livestock raiders from areas around Isiolo stepped up 
their activities in February, stealing livestock and 
attacking (sometimes fatally) the herders who protected 
them.  Meru livestock owners reportedly lost 560 animals in 
these raids. 
 
¶5. Kenyan police do try to act on reports of stolen animals 
and have developed special Anti-Stock Theft Units do so, 
but the situation around Isiolo in February escalated into 
a particularly aggressive livestock recovery operation that 
at one point included the use of military helicopters. 
Several factors were likely at play: the political pull of 
some of the complainants (reportedly two prominent former 
government officials - an election commissioner and a 
magistrate), the fatal shooting of a police officer 
involved in the initial recovery operation, and the 
February 23 attack in Samburu District of a security convoy 
carrying the Samburu District Commissioner and two Officers 
in Charge of District Police forces (Isiolo and Igembe 
Districts). 
 
--------------------- 
Seven Eyes For an Eye 
 
NAIROBI 00000551  002 OF 003 
 
 
--------------------- 
 
¶6. Police have told us that no innocent citizens were 
harassed or had their animals taken, but we have heard 
reports to the contrary.  Government security forces 
reportedly collected as many as 4,000 animals from Samburu 
herders, although only 560 or so had been reported to have 
been stolen from the Meru complainants.  A staff member of 
a DfID-funded pastoralist support program told poloff that 
none of the 4,000 animals collected were subsequently 
identified as having been stolen from Meru owners.  (Note: 
Livestock identification is reasonably easy, as each owner 
marks his animals with distinctive symbols.  End Note.) 
 
¶7. We have heard multiple reports that police took the 
livestock collected from the recovery operation in Samburu 
to Isiolo, where they were distributed to Garre (ethnic 
Somalis) and Meru who claimed to have lost livestock to 
Samburu raiders.  We have also heard that some of the extra 
livestock were sold by police to willing buyers. 
 
¶8. Although they are still unconfirmed, some of the reports 
of the government's collection methods also raise concerns 
about human rights abuses: helicopters firing at civilians, 
the beating of an elderly woman who tried to prevent police 
from taking her livestock, and the fatal shooting of a man 
who tried to do the same. (Note: We have seen photographs 
of one police and two army helicopters purportedly 
operating in the area, a photo of police officers tear- 
gassing a crowd, and a photo of a man who claimed to have 
been shot in the leg by police.  End Note.) 
 
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Stage Set for More Tribal Conflict 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶9. Government-appointed tribal chiefs and, more 
traditionally, elders' councils, can still be used to 
resolve raid-related conflicts.  Around the same time as 
police were seizing livestock from the Samburu, police also 
took 320 head of livestock from Borana herders and 
delivered them to the Samburu, who complained that they had 
been stolen from Kulamara area.  After inspecting the 
animals, Samburu elders accepted only one of them because 
none of the others bore the correct brand.  A subsequent 
negotiation between Borana and Samburu elders resulted in 
an agreement: the Borana elders would identify the culprits 
and return the remaining 91 animals that had been stolen to 
the Samburu, and the Samburu would tell the police to 
return the 319 animals erroneously recovered. 
 
¶10. Such a dialogue has not occurred between the Samburu 
and the Meru and Garre who claim to have suffered from 
Samburu raids.  Without dialogue, future Samburu raids to 
recover Samburu livestock are likely.  The situation is 
made worse by the large numbers of small arms available 
(both legal and illegal) to all sides. 
 
¶11. Recent press reports indicate that neighboring 
communities are already trying to increase their legitimate 
arms supply: the government recently authorized the 
issuance of 300 automatic rifles to 'home guards' in Isiolo 
North.  (Comment: While the government routinely issues 
weapons and ammunition to police reserve forces in areas 
where there is sparse security presence, the practice can 
easily backfire, especially in areas prone to conflict. 
This issue was covered well in a recent report by the Small 
Arms Survey in Geneva about security problems in Turkana 
District.  The report, entitled, 'Blowback: Kenya's Illicit 
Ammunition Problem in Turkana North District' can be found 
at www.smallarmssurvey.org.  End Comment.) 
 
¶12. A USAID co-funded project, the Northern Rangelands 
Trust (NRT), works in areas that were at the center of this 
storm.  The aim of the program is to secure and enhance the 
livelihood of Northern Kenya's pastoralist communities by 
conserving land, water and wildlife resources.  However, 
there is a perception among some individuals who are not 
members of NRT that the Samburu, who do participate in NRT, 
have used NRT resources to stage raids on their neighbors. 
An unconfirmed press report indicating that an NRT vehicle 
was used in a recent Samburu raid reflects this sentiment. 
 
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NAIROBI 00000551  003 OF 003 
 
 
Comment 
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¶13. We are closely tracking the developments in this area, 
not least because of the concerns addressed to us by Amcits 
with ties to the area (including ownership of cattle that 
were seized by police and sponsorships of Samburu children 
through NGOs).  The issues in Isiolo and Samburu are 
similar -- and related -- to the cycle of livestock raiding 
and revenge attacks in Marsabit (reftel), and we as a 
mission continue to focus on how we can help ease tensions 
and promote dialogue in these areas. 
 
¶14. For starters, we have intensified the frequency of our 
conversations with our partners at Northern Rangelands 
Trust - not only to garner information about events on the 
ground, but also to encourage NRT's existing peace-building 
and conflict resolution efforts. 
 
¶15.  We will continue to look into allegations of abuse by 
Kenyan security forces and intervene with officials as 
appropriate. 
RANNEBERGER