Nine die in cattle raid
2002-11-25 15:22
Nairobi - Nine people, including several children, were killed at the weekend in cattle rustling incidents in northwestern Kenya, police and church sources said Monday.
Francis Sang, police chief in Lodwar, the district capital, said seven Pokot rustlers were shot and killed on Saturday by police and Turkana herders whose cattle had been stolen earlier in the day. Two other raiders were wounded.
Joseph Ewol, an official of the National Council of Churches of Kenya in Lodwar, said there were several school age children among the dead Pokot raiders.
Ewol said cattle raids between the Pokot and the Turkana increase during school holidays when youngsters join in to obtain cattle to sell to pay school fees. School ended last week in Kenya, and the new school year begins in January.
Cattle rustling has been a way of life for centuries among the Pokot and Turkana communities, but the introduction of modern weapons has made it much more lethal.
In a separate incident Saturday, police shot and killed two Turkana raiders as they attempted to cross into Pokot territory to steal cattle. - Sapa-AP
- SAPA