Nyakach parliamentary hopeful Jonathan Okoth Opande has fiercely condemned the rising violence in Nyakach constituency, where cattle rustlers continue to wreak havoc and claim lives. Speaking to The Kenyan Tabloid on Tuesday evening, Opande called on the broad-based government to urgently address the escalating cross-border attacks along the Kisumu-Kericho border.
On Monday, January 20, a pastor from the VOSH church in Sondu was fatally attacked near Agai Secondary School.
“Another son of Nyakach has been killed after being shot with an arrow by cattle rustlers near Agai. This is the second death in just one month,” Opande said, citing a similar tragedy on Christmas Eve when another resident was brutally hacked to death.
“Last week, our neighbor in the same area was speared in the head but miraculously survived,” he added.
Opande revealed that ten lives have been lost in Nyakach over the past ten months due to cattle rustling, painting a grim picture of a constituency under siege. He urged Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to take decisive action to bring the violence to an end.
“This is the 10th death in 10 months. We are losing one person every month to cattle rustling. These relentless attacks have robbed the people of Nyakach of the opportunity to build their wealth and thrive. We are calling on the IG and Luo leaders within the broad-based government to step up and safeguard our community,” he emphasized.
The businessman and aspiring MP warned that should the government fail to act, local leaders and residents may have no choice but to defend themselves.
“Enough is enough. We cannot stand by and watch our people butchered by cross-border cattle rustlers. Nyakach is not a child of a lesser God,” he declared, urging swift and firm government intervention.
Tensions have continued to rise along the Kisumu-Kericho border over the past two weeks, with mounting public pressure on the government to end the cattle rustling crisis.
