End ethnic killings

The people of the Rift Valley have suffered for too long because of the so-called ethnic clashes, which are just criminal acts, some of whose perpetrators are left to go scot-free.Six people have been killed in the latest incidents, homes torched, and livestock stolen in a reign of terror against innocent villagers.Of course, the mayhem is always worse during elections, which confirms that it is largely driven by ulterior motives.The latest flare-up of violence has been in the Eastern Mau Forest, where crooks hiding behind their communities continue to wage attacks on their neighbours.It is encouraging to hear leaders calling on the communities to end the conflict and embrace peace. That is okay, but it is handling a serious problem with kid gloves.The leaders should not be pleading with the criminals to stop the mayhem. They must push for the identification and isolation of the perpetrators of the heinous crimes to be apprehended and severely punished to serve a deterrent to crime.No government or leaders worth their salt can pretend that all is well and that it is just a few members of warring or rival communities going for one another's jugular.Peace will not come from begging the criminals to stop the menace. They must be stopped, as there is a clear element of incitement.However, the best the leaders can now do is to address the root causes of the perennial conflicts in the region. The trigger is, of course, the enduring feeling of historical land injustices that date back to colonial times.However, they are triggered by small incidents such as cattle thefts, which blow up into full-scale ethnic conflicts. But, as the land question is addressed by the leaders and the authorities, nobody should be allowed to take the law into their own hands.