Elgeyo Marakwet Deputy Governor Wisely Rotich has written an open letter to President Uhuru Kenyatta seeking his intervention over what he termed as ongoing genocide in Kerio Valley.
Rotich, in the letter dated January 4, 2022, notes that there is an ongoing killing spree in the Kerio Valley, which has now claimed over 50 people in less than 5 months, with many others injured, and property worth millions lost.
In seeking Uhuru’s intervention, the Deputy Governor points out that the situation has reached a point where innocent children and women are killed.
“I am writing to you directly because all avenues have been exhausted and we have tried all strategies but it seems we need a higher authority,” Wisely Rotich says in the letter.
He warns that should the killings continue, it would result in courting trouble that will be costly in the long run.
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Among the short-term measures that the Elgeyo Marakwet Deputy Governor wants the President to do include immediate deployment of the military at Koloa Bridge to restore sanity.
“Reinstate NPR, train and pay a monthly stipend to them because they understand the terrain,” he notes.
Rotich also wants NCIC, KVDA, and other partners to resume peace talks, alongside re-organization of security arrangements by moving all police stations along the road to the Kerio River.
Other short-term interventions Uhuru has been asked to order include heightening intelligence gathering inside the Tiaty area, deployment of drone surveillance, and arresting all beneficiaries of stolen livestock.
“In the long term: Your Excellency, we kindly request that you become a president who will commence the journey of transformation of Kerio Valley from a valley of death to a valley of infinite opportunities,” the DG says in the letter.
Among the long-term intervention suggested by Rotich include the installation of critical infrastructure in the Kerio Valley and the introduction of mandatory schooling for all children under 18 years in Tiaty.
The Mandatory schooling program, according to the DG, will improve literacy levels and in the end eradicate banditry.
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He also wants the implementation of the Marshall plan that will address development gaps wholistically in Kerio Valley.
“Restructure KVDA, NDMA or establish a new body to implement and monitor the Marshall plan,” Rotich notes in the open letter to the President.
