The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Moroto, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Turkana pastoralists from Kenya and their Karamojong counterparts in Moroto district are decrying the decision by security to deny them access to Kobebe water dam, which is currently under tight security protection.
The joint security forces flashed the pastoralists from Kobebe grazing area, which also hosts the water dam in March this year when armed rustlers shot dead three geologists and two soldiers who had gone to collect soil samples.
The government constructed Kobebe dam in 2010 at Shillings 7 billion to provide water to pastoralists and their livestock. An estimated 9,000 pastoralists from Turkana in Kenya and Karamojong in Moroto were using the dam before they were flashed out.
Several pleas by pastoralists to security forces to allow them water for their animals in the area have fallen on deaf ears. Mathew Lokut, a Matheniko pastoralist from Rupa sub-county says that their animals have become emaciated due to the lack of water following their expulsion from the dam.
“What was the reason for the government constructing a dam in Kobebe? We are losing animals due to lack of water yet we have a dam,” he said. Lokut losigiria, another pastoralist said that the only option left is to face off with security personnel guarding the dam. “Livestock is our source of living now we are losing our cows due to lack of water yet the government gave us a dam,” he said.
Jeremiah Emanikor, a Turkana pastoralist who has been grazing his cattle in Moroto for over 15years, said it was wrong for the security to criminalize all pastoralists because the majority of them didn’t participate in killing of the geologists.
John Lomokol, another pastoralist says that he has lost 9 animals since he was flashed out of Kobebe grazing area. Micheal Longole, the Karamoja Regional police spokesperson says that no pastoralists will have any access to the grazing area not until they produce the key suspects who killed the geologists and soldiers.
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