Cattle rustling cited as main cause of insecurity in Marsabit

Cattle rustling has been cited as the main cause of insecurity in Marsabit, undermining an operation aimed at ending killings and banditry in Kenya’s largest county by land mass.

A man was killed and livestock stolen by bandits in the county on Sunday, despite the security operation and a curfew in the region.

Speaking to the Nation by phone, Marsabit County Commissioner Paul Rotich said persistent banditry was undercutting the security operation that started in April.

“Cattle rustling has continued to be our security concern as it isn’t only a crime but a deeply entrenched retrogressive tradition among the pastoralist communities. We are doing everything possible to address the challenge in Marsabit,” Mr Rotich said.

He was responding to a cattle rustling incident at Leyai in Songa location on Sunday where a herder was shot dead by bandits on the edge of Marsabit forest.

The bandits shot Asugo Simon Skaldere in the neck before making away with an unknown number of animals.

Mr Skaldere was buried without a postmortem being conducted on the body, according to the family’s wishes.

Security officers are relying on one spent cartridge found at the scene as they pursue the bandits.

Bernard Mbatha, the commanding officer of the security operation, codenamed Rejesha Amani Marsabit, said cattle rustling was one of their biggest headaches.

He said that though they had made gains in restoring calm in the county, a few cases of cattle rustling were still reported.

He explained that cattle rustling is hard to end overnight as it is an age-old cultural practice among pastoral communities in Northern and North Eastern Kenya.

He was concerned that banditry had featured high on the list of triggers of inter-ethnic conflicts.

He attributed continuing banditry to the vastness of the county and poor roads in remote areas.

He also said cattle rustling cases sometimes took two to three days to be reported, meaning security officers respond when its already too late.

In some instances, a high volume of goods is carted away into the thick forest that the rustlers inhabit and where they launch attacks from. 

Mr Rotich said the security team had seized over 300 guns and 3,000 rounds of ammunition.

The Samburu, Rendille, Turkana, Daasanach and other warriors usually raid neighbouring communities and return with hundreds of cattle.

While others may think this is a barbaric practice, they consider it an act of bravery that earns them accolades from young women and elders.

Cattle rustling was also a way of replenishing the communities’ stocks after their herds perished during droughts, getting livestock stolen by bandits from other communities or getting animals to pay as dowry.

But Mr Mbatha was optimistic that plans by the county security committee to bring on board the community council of elders, opinion leaders, the political class, the media and activists would help address the issue.

He was happy that the security operation had led to a drastic decline in banditry cases compared with 2021.

But cattle rustling or raiding is no longer a cultural practice but a form of organised crime committed by international criminal networks.

It is facilitated by the proliferation of weapons, according to ENACT Africa, which seeks to enhance human security by providing authoritative research, expert policy advice and capacity building.

Traditionally, small-scale stock theft was a way of balancing community wealth and power, but crime and capitalism have commercialised this practice, making it a significant economic threat.

ENACT Africa’s report said that in cattle rustling spurred by the proliferation of small weapons, criminals target small-scale pastoralists, who are the backbone of the regional beef industry.

Pastoralist communities’ livelihoods are threatened by criminals, who supply stolen beef to growing urban meat markets.

In Kenya alone, beef from stolen animals supplied by bandits amounts to about Sh5 billion annually.

Cattle rustling has grown both in scale and violence, facilitated by the growing proliferation of small arms and embedded in the wider business of the cattle trade.

It leaves a trail of death and destruction and even displacement of communities.

At least five herders have been killed since the onset of Operation Rejesha Amani Marsabit.