MOROTO – The joint security forces in Nakapiripirit district have dispatched a team of police officers to search for the missing four dead bodies in Pian Upe game reserve.
It’s alleged that on the 6th of January 2023, the suspected Pokot pastoralists from Amudat district grazing in Nakapiripirit killed four unknown Pian pastoralists and dumped their bodies in the game reserves.
Micheal Longole, the Mt Moroto regional police spokesperson said a team of officers had been sent into the Pian Upe game reserve to search for the dead bodies.
Longole said the search started on Saturday with the company of local leaders, GISOs both from Nakapiripirit and Amudat district.
He said the search team entered the game reserve bushes west wards to the lake Opeta bordering the districts of Nakapiripirit and Kumi which is about 70 kilometres.
Longole said the team returned and they are resuming the search today but requested the community to provide reliable information to enable them recover alleged bodies.
“As security forces we are committed to serve the community and our effort should not be frustrated with wrong information,” warned Longole.
However, Joseph Lobot, the LCV chairperson for Amudat district observed that the four people who were killed had gone to attack the Pokot herdsmen from the grazing area.
Lobot said suspected cattle raiders who were six in number had tried to steal the cows belonging to Pokot but the security forces had camped in the same area of grazing which led to the exchange of fire and four were put out of action.
He claimed that the conflict between the Pian of Nakapiripirit and Pokot from Amudat are politically motivated and may lead to escalation of insecurity if not handled well.
In December 2022, the authorities in Nabilatuk, Nakapiripirit and the neighbouring districts of Sebei sub region ordered Pokot herdsmen out of their land accusing them of crop destruction and illegal entry to their territories.
