By Prosper Gibolo
KOTIDO:The community and leaders of Kotido have agreed to allow the pastoralists from Turkana in Kenya to graze on their land on condition that they don’t come with guns.
This was during a cross-border peace dialogue held at Nakapelimoru Sub-county, on Wednesday, July 8,2026, where a delegation of officials from Turkana County led by Kenya’s Special Peace Envoy for the Ateker Region, John Munyes and Kotido district leaders deliberated on the measures to manage the anticipated influx of pastoralists entering into Nakapelimoru, while averting resource-based conflicts.
The meeting was also attended by high profile security personnel led by Col Ruziro Muwagaba, the Commandant of 405 brigade headquartered at Nakapelimoru Sub-county.
The dialogue followed Tuesday, July 7, 2026, high level stakeholders meeting between the Turkana delegation and Kotido district leaders held at the district headquarters and presided over by the Resident District Commissioner Charles Ichogor.
During the meeting Special Peace Envoy for the Ateker Region, John Munyes, requested the district leaders and the community members to allow the Turkana pastoralists, fleeing into Kotido and Kaabong districts in search of water and pasture following the ongoing drought to graze on their land.
On the security front, Munyes Kiyong shared optimistic news of declining armed criminality, attributing this to ongoing disarmament initiatives by the Security Operation Group (SOG) in Pokot, Turkana, and Soboro.
He affirmed that the Kenyan government under the stewardship of President William Ruto remains committed to eliminating isolated criminal elements in the region in order to ensure lasting peace between the Turkana and Karamojong pastoralists.
Lomor Paul the LC3 chairperson of Nakapelimoru sub-county welcomed the request for the Turkana and the Jie pastoralists to share the limited available pasture and water points, noting that current drought has affected both communities.
Regina Menyan, a member of peace committee and Lochia Lokwal, a resident of Nakitongo in West Turkana commended the both the Turkana and Kotido leaders for bringing the two communities together.
They emphasised the need for the Jie and Turkana pastoralists to always share the problems with leaders and adhere to the laws.
Col Ruziro Muwagaba the 405 brigade commander Nakapelimoru applauded the two communities for accepting to leave together in harmony.
He, however cautioned the Turkana pastoralists never to come with guns in line with Executive Order No. 3 of 2023 barring armed Turkana pastoralists from Kenya from crossing into Uganda’s Karamoja region.
Jessica Ruth Ataa, the Executive Director of NARWOA, an organisation that has been facilitating cross-order dialogues between the Jie and the Turkana, commended the Kenyan government for opening access roads linking Turkana to Kotido which have boosted trade between the communities.
Paul Lotee Komol, the Kotido district chairperson, emphasized peaceful co-existence between the Karamoja and Turkana pastoralists living along the Kotido-Kenya border.
Lotee appealed to the Kenyan government to finance desilting Kobebe dams, whose water levels have gone down due to the current drought.
Meanwhile Charles Ichogor, the Kotido Resident District Commissioner (RDC) directed the security and the peace committees to be out the look out of Turkana pastoralists who sneak into the area with guns.
He warned that the district would evict all the Turkana pastoralists once one of them is found grazing in any part of the district while carrying a gun.
