Kenya firearms hunt stokes mistrust 
By Karen Allen
BBC News, Tangulbei 

Villagers say illegal arms are their only means of defence

In western Kenya a major military operation is under way to try to seize tens of thousands of illegal firearms from communities involved in cattle raids.

Many of these people are among the most impoverished in Kenya, neglected by successive governments and living in areas which are in desperate need of development.  Cattle rustling, as it is known here, is an occupational hazard if you are a pastoralist - but it is increasingly taking on a tribal nature and becoming more violent.

Since January, 19 people have been killed.

In a small village some 70km (44 miles) from the hot springs of Lake Baringo, the local primary school has been turned into an army barracks.  Armoured vehicles are parked in the yard and the place is teaming with soldiers waiting for orders.  On the approach to the village we came across two tanks being loaded onto huge army trucks and at night military helicopters patrol overhead.

All this in a village with just 2,000 inhabitants.

Security deal

Scenes like these are being played out across western Kenya as part of a major operation to seize up to 30,000 illegal weapons which the authorities believe are being held.

Not an act of intimidation, according to the senior government official in charge, Hassan Noor, but assertive persuasion.  "We are only intimidating villagers by our presence... we're telling them 'please hand over your weapons... you don't need them'."

In return for handing over their weapons and identifying the culprits, the communities are being promised more security for their cattle and more development assistance for their villages.  But mistrust runs deep in these parts.

It is estimated that thousands have fled across the border, taking their animals and their weapons with them - unwilling to surrender their livelihood or, as they would argue, their only means of defence.

Alienation risk

Asman Kamamma, a junior minister whose constituency is among those being targeted, has dubbed the military operation "a total fiasco".  "The best route is to call the chiefs and elders - talk to them and they'll give us the names and the locations of the illegal firearms and we will be able to deal with the right people."

Instead the policy risks alienating an already marginalised community - a point echoed by leaders of the Catholic Church in Kenya.  But efforts in the past to pursue a more conciliatory approach have been met with a lukewarm response.

Last year an amnesty on illegally held weapons was far from successful - only a handful were surrendered - and many educated people in the village say the only way to get firearms handed in is to demonstrate a commitment to development first.

That means building schools, hospitals and digging boreholes before turning to people to put down their weapons.

Slow start

So is there more to this operation than meets the eye?

It is clearly designed to send a message to neighbouring Uganda, Sudan and Somalia that the illicit trade in guns will not be tolerated.  With presidential elections just a year away, a government crackdown on crime is bound to win votes.  But tribes like the Pokot and the Samburu, which occupy the areas at the centre of this military operation, feel the government is being selective about where it chooses to flex its military muscle.

And just how many weapons will be seized at the end of the week of operations?

The military has been reluctant to release figures yet, but in the village I visited just seven AK47s and a MAG 1 had been handed over.  With up to 30,000 illegal weapons believed to be in circulation, it does not take much to realise the huge challenge disarmament brings.
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