Farmers in Lainya County at Kamusa Kamusin village of Logwili boma have raised concerns over renewed threats from the cattle keepers.

The Youth Chairperson Joseph Lokulenge said the cattle keepers have set up a new cattle camp at  Kamusa Kamusin and they were being grazed on the farms and destroying crops in turn.

 “The very big issue is that these people do not control their cows, they have eaten all the cassava crop and other plants,” he said.

Lokulenge stressed that some group of the women confiscated the cattle from their farms and handed them over to a police station but “the cattle keepers came with the guns and forcefully took their cows.”

“A group of armed youth came in a large number at 3 pm to the police station and removed the cows without even informing the local authorities,’’ Lokulenge said adding that herders intimidate the community with their weapons.

The area chief, Gabriel Daudi, said the issue started last Saturday when cows ate the crops belonging to the indigenous people in the village.

He said on Sunday the herders left the cows to graze in farms and threatened to shoot farm owners who complained.

“On Monday they again brought their cattle to graze in the garden and that is when the owners of the farms decided to take 9 cows to the police.

“We planned to summon the owners of the cattle and we waited for them to come so that we can discuss the issue of the cows but they came at 5 pm. They said if we say anything they will shoot us,” Daudi said.

“We are just chiefs and we do not have guns and we do not want to fight because we are tired of this issue of fighting, all we wanted was to talk with them,” he said. 

The matter was reported to the County Commissioner who is yet to give a response.

“How will the people here eat now that the crops are being eaten by the cows. Where is the government and what are the government’s plans,” Daudi asked.

The chief called on the state government to urgently address the conflict in Lainya County before it escalated.

“We now don’t have a choice these people came to the police station with heavy guns and untied the cattle at the police station as we all watched helplessly because they had guns [and so] we fear for our lives,” Daudi explained.