West Pokot Deputy Governor Urge Residents to Embrace Open Dialogue

By Emmanuel Oyasi,

The Deputy Governor West Pokot county Robert Komole has led a delegation from West Pokot County in a meeting with leaders from the Karamoja and Sebei communities in neighboring Uganda, in efforts to seek peace among the two communities.

Speaking in a private meeting organized in Moroto area, Komole emphasized the need of embracing peace among the three communities and shunning conflicts which he said has led to loss of many lives and crippled development.

“The challenges we face, particularly the conflicts stemming from cattle rustling and the scarcity of resources have long plagued our communities. These conflicts have not only led to the loss of lives and livelihoods but have also crippled our developments,” said Komole.

At the same time, he mentioned illiteracy among many residents of the two communities as well as relying more on pastoralism as the source of living, as the main triggers of conflicts among them, explaining the need to change the situation.

“Those areas that hinder our progress are probably illiteracy and lack of alternative economic activities. We only rely on pastoralism,” he said.

Komole is now calling on the two communities to embrace dialogue to find a consensus as one way to resolve the conflicts that have been witnessed among them for a long period of time.

“By fostering open dialogue, mutual understanding and trust building mechanism, we can create avenues for resolving disputes peacefully and constructively,” he added.