Normal business activities were on Thursday paralyzed at the famous Rumuruti livestock auction market in Laikipia county, following clashes between herders and locals, even as Governor Ndiritu Muriithi seeks for the extension of security operation to the area.
Approximately 2,000 cattle and 5,200 sheep and goats are sold at the town’s weekly livestock auction geld every Thursday. A couple of hundred meters north of the town center, Rumuruti’s Livestock Market attracts sellers from as far as Baringo, Turkana, Isiolo and Samburu, and buyers from as far as Meru, Nairobi, Nakuru, Murang’a, Nyeri and even Somalia.
Normal business at the market were however paralyzed following clashes that have rocked the town for the last two days with less than 10 percent attending the market. Early in the week angry residents had stormed the market and flushed out herders who had brought their livestock for sale during a mini market day. The traders also torched several motorcycles belonging to the herders accusing them of grazing their livestock at their farms in Marura area.
According to Rumuruti Municipal manager, Jackson Kibocha revenue collection has been affected for the last three days. He said revenue worth about half a million is collected by the county government in the livestock auction market. He added that an approximate of 10,000 people from outside the area flock the market every Thursday and more than Sh1 million exchange hands in the busy town.
Richard Lentaiyon, a livestock keeper from Kaptagat area who had brought his livestock to the market said that he was forced to return them home because buyers had also opted to keep off. He noted that the market is always flooded by buyers from as far as Nairobi and other counties but today they kept off. Mr Nicholas Eloiloi, another livestock keeper said that tension was still high in the area and called for government intervention. He called on the government to come up with a permanent solution to end the stalemate.
Governor Ndiritu Muriithi, who calmed down residents who were threatening to attack the herders, called for calmness saying that relevant government agencies were intervening. He called for the extension of the security operation that is currently ongoing in troubled neighbouring Ol Moran to Rumuruti area. He called on the government to deploy a section of the multi agency security team that is carrying operation in Ol Moran to the area to avoid a replica of what happened in Ol Moran.
The governor however added that talks were currently ongoing between elders from Samburu and Kikuyu communities to calm down the tensions. He also called on legislators to review the Trespass Act (Cap.294) so that courts can start fining trespassers and illegal grazer hefty fines, to discourage them from committing the offense repeatedly.
The Act provides that any person guilty of an offense under this Act for which no penalty is expressly provided shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five hundred shillings or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two months or to both such fine and imprisonment.
Governor Ndiritu argued that imposing harsh fines to suspected illegal grazers that conforms to the number of livestock found within privately owned land will discourage them from invading into private properties.