Raila blames the military for border insecurity

Written By:Catherine Achieng'a,    Posted: Wed, May 18, 2011

The Prime Minister has called on the Ethiopian government to retract Ethiopian militia invading the Kenyan territory with immediate effect

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has hit out at the military for failing to secure Kenyan borders 2 weeks after an incursion by Ethiopian militias killing 20 Kenyans.

The Premier admitting to parliament the security lapse says the National Security Intelligence Service had prior knowledge of the planned attacked and passed information to the relevant authorities who failed to act in time to prevent the killings.

He further disclosed that 2,500 Merille from Ethiopia, 900 of whom are armed militia, have invaded Kenyan soil and are currently residing 17 km from the border point at Omo delta.

The said militia is utilizing Kenyan land and water for agricultural purposes denying the Turkana access to the water resource. A situation that he says has since seen the Kenya Government Issue a notice to have them vacate Kenyan soil failure to which they will be rounded up as refugees and repatriated to Ethiopia.

In addition he says a cabinet committee meeting on security chaired by the President, has since seen the government direct the ministries of land and internal security to fast track the demarcation and alienation of Kenya's boundaries as well as repair broken down beacons to clearly mark Kenyan territory.

Protecting Turkana

As an immediate measure to protect the Turkana people he cited the government has deployed additional security forces and relocated the GSU and AP camps in Tondonyang 14km towards the border to counter any further attacks, as well as increased emergency relief food to avoid instances of the locals moving to Ethiopia in search of food.

It also plans to hold a joint peace committee meeting on the 26^th with members of the Ethiopian community to restore calm that has been in existence since 2006 following the signing of a peace accord among the two warring communities.

Legislators, who took the government to task over continued invasions including that of Migingo and Ogingo islands in Nyanza, also saw the premier reveal joint military forces have since been dispatched to guard the islands and as of this morning Migingo island was secure with the Ugandan authorities having withdrawn their flag.

As a long term measure to protect the Turkana community the premier says the government plans to expand irrigation projects in the county in which it will see 2,800 acres of land tilled projected to produce at least 145,000 bags of maize annually.