By Betty Luke
Emotions ran high during the burial of six of the nine men who were gunned down within Murulem and harr Moroti area in Burat by bandits suspected to have come from Samburu at LMD Muslim cemetery.
Four other people were injured when the bandits ambushed some of the residents at their homes and others while grazing and are hospitalized at Isiolo Referral Hospital.
Charged up residents barred majority of elected leaders from the gravesite and addressing journalists who had gone to cover the ceremony.
The mourners accused the leaders of failure to offer lasting solution to insecurity menace that has claimed dozens of lives in the recent past.
One of the female MPs was forced to leave the area as some irate women threatened to rough her up.
Leaders at the event accused the government of failure to contain the situation and stop the senseless killings.
They ordered ejection of remaining armed illegal herders from neighbouring counties whom they accused of perpetrating the attacks.
An operation to flush out illegal herders has been underway in the county.
Deputy Governor Abdi Issa asked the government to re-arm the National Police Reservists to aid in protecting residents and their properties.
“Those who were vetted and found fit to be reservists should be armed,” he said.
Burat MCA Yarrow Hassan asked the government to move with speed and secure the citizens and their properties saying the incessant attacks were threatening pastoralism which is the main economic stay for majority of the residents.
“NPRs in Samburu are armed but ours are yet to be rearmed after handing over their weapons. This is unfair treatment,” he said.
Residents threatened to arm and protect themselves if the government does not quickly resolve the menace.
“This is too much and unbearable. The government should allow us to arm and defend ourselves if it cannot protect us,” one of them said.
