The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has criticised security agencies over how they are carrying out the ongoing Operation Maliza Uhalifu in the North Rift Security Operation, saying the crackdown is hurting innocent families instead of only targeting bandits.
In a statement released on Monday, the rights body accused both the police and the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) of using harsh methods that have left pastoralist communities counting heavy losses.
“The crackdown seems to affect and impact the lives of ordinary herders more than it affects and impacts those who are breaking the law,” the human rights body said in a statement.
The commission further reported that over 70 cows, 10 camels, and 50 goats were killed in an operation in Silale, Baringo County, on January 26. The affected livestock were owned by families.
“When you kill someone’s cow, you’re not just killing an animal; you’re taking away their life,” said a resident who witnessed the operation.
KNCHR reported damaged homes, closed markets, dried-up water points, and fleeing families from their villages out of fear. The affected places include Silale, Riongo, Nginyang, and Naudo.
The rights group noted that even the local chiefs and their assistants were arrested during the operations.
The commission recognizes that banditry and cattle rustling posed hardships in the region for years. Nevertheless, it warned that if the communities were to be punished, it would only lead to more anger and mistrust.
“Security work should protect people, not impoverish them and make them homeless,” the KNCHR declared.
KNCHR is calling on the government to reassess the operation, pay compensation to hitherto livestock and property owners, and focus efforts on arresting real bandits and financiers of the vice.
To a family living in the North Rift, however, the main worry is probably quite simple—safety is important, but needs to be balanced against their only means of survival.