Dialogue, Not Guns: Priest Urges Government to Engage Elgeyo Marakwet Communities in Ending Kerio Valley Killings

By Kimagata Maridany.

Local communities living in Elgeyo Marakwet have a solution to the pereniel killings in Kerio Valley, Ndaraweta Catholic Parish priest Rev Fr. Ambrose Kimutai has said.

Fr. Ambrose said it time for the government to employ dialogue to end the senseless killings.
Speaking while presiding a mass service today, Rev Kimutai said deployment of police including Kenyan army have failed and it was time for the government to change strategy.

Reacting to the killing of Tot catholic Parish Priest Fr. Alois Cheruiyot Bett, Rev Kimutai said Elgeyo Marakwet and local communities should be given an opportunity to dialgue and talk their youth out of the crime.

“Police have failed, even the gun totting army have not brought forth a solution and we should accept and employ dialogue,” he said.

Rev Kimutai said it was regrettable that for years the government was playing hide and seek while innocent people continue to die.

“It is no longer business as usual, the government should stop offering lip service and confront the situation by bringing local communities to round table talks,” he said.

The vocal priest asked Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to stop pretending and hiding behind the deploymemt of police in Kerio.

Kimitai said the Cabinet Sevewyatu being a member of the communitt in Elgeyo Marakwet should be honest and ask local elder to initiate talks.

He said it would be very absurd if Murkomen will not end the killing as a minister incharge of Security.
“Murkomen should know that this is time for him, as one of the sons from the area, to find a lasting solution,” said Rev Kimutai.

At the same time, Rev Kimutai asked elders to cleanse Kerio Valley and lead dialogue.
He said Kerio Valley has become a killing ground due to several incident of killing amd elders should step in to ensure that past incidents are clease so that peace can be witnessed in the area.

“Blood of those innocents people of have been killed could be haunting the area and therefore locals elder sshould clean the valley so that the incidents where people can be done away with,” he added.