Prime Minister Raila Odinga has moved to restore peace between the warring communities in northern Kenya, asking each of them to pick five representatives who will team up with local MPs to discuss peace at a venue and time he will announce soon.
Mr Odinga visited Moyale on Wednesday accompanied by local leaders, including current and former MPs and spent the entire afternoon in talks with representatives of local communities.
He said that as talks go on, the government would provide materials to rebuild homes and schools that have been burnt down in the recent violence.
The government will also fast track issuance of identity cards to those who lost theirs during the violence. The steps will be taken on condition that the warring communities sue for peace and renounce violence. The PM said more security officers will also be posted to the area but warned residents that the officers could not be posted to every neighbourhood.
The PM appealed to the residents not to allow politicians to use them adding that the timing of the violence and the pattern pointed to politics. "Everyone who has spoken here this afternoon says what has happened here in recent weeks has never been seen before. So ask yourself 'why," the PM said.
He challenged the communities to agree and share the elective positions in a way that would make everyone feel wanted and included. "One community can provide the Governor, the other provides the Senator. One could produce the MP, the other produces the Women's representative. You dont have to kill each other for these positions," the PM said.
He appealed to local MPs to save the people from warfare and unite them for useful purposes. The PM said the government was aware that smaller communities are trying to forge alliances to contain the bigger ones out of fear of marginalisation.
He said once the peace talks begin, a decision would be taken on whether there is need for deeper Investigations into the recent violence which residents said had claimed hundreds of lives and pushed thousands across the border into Ethiopia.
Responding to requests by Arae leaders that the guns being recovered from KPRs who had misused them to newly vetted ones, the PM said the gun was not the solution. "We are in a civilian state. Our security cannot be seen to be coming from the gun. And we are members of one country. Our ability to live together cannot be driven by fear of mutual destruction. We must agree to live in peace, gun or no gun," Mr Odinga said.
Saying it was not possible for the government to post a security officer to every village in the trouble spots that dot arid lands, the PM appealed to residents to appreciate efforts to uplift those areas in recent years.
The PM was accompanied by Immigration Minister Otieno Kajwang, MPs Mahmoud Mohammed, Chachu Ganya, former MP Jilo Falana and a number of community leaders.