The church has intensified peacebuilding efforts along the West Pokot-Turkana and Kenya-Uganda borders, distributing food aid to elderly people and vulnerable families affected by insecurity, drought and hunger.
Through the Baptist Women of Kenya, the church has launched peace initiatives in remote areas, particularly Alale in Pokot North, seeking to promote peaceful coexistence among the Pokot, Turkana and Karamojong communities that have experienced years of conflict and cattle rustling.
Baptist Women of Kenya Chairperson Carol Orago said the organisation had trained pastors to promote peace and mediate conflicts, while also empowering women and community members with alternative livelihood skills. She said the initiative was targeting communities facing insecurity, hunger and limited access to essential services.
As part of the programme, the church distributed relief food and other essential items worth about one million shillings to 1,000 vulnerable households. The donations, including maize, beans and cooking oil, were sourced through well-wishers, with Orago appealing for more support for the elderly and persons living with disabilities.
Orago also raised concern over early and forced marriages along the porous border, saying some perpetrators cross into Uganda to evade arrest. She called on security agencies to intensify efforts to protect girls, while revealing plans to educate communities on harmful cultural practices and establish a rescue centre for girls at risk of early marriage and female genital mutilation.
Baptist Women of Kenya West Pokot Regional Coordinator Brigid Chepkosgei said poor rainfall and crop failure had worsened hunger in the region, forcing some women to turn to artisanal gold mining to support their families. She said some miners had died after mine pits collapsed, highlighting the dangers faced by vulnerable families seeking alternative livelihoods.
Chepkosgei said the church, with support from well-wishers, had also provided 10 motorcycles to pastors and community peace leaders to help them reach remote areas and mediate conflicts. She said the initiative had contributed to former warriors abandoning violence and embracing peaceful coexistence among the Pokot, Turkana and Karamojong communities.
Residents welcomed the intervention but appealed for more food assistance, saying drought and the migration of livestock into Uganda in search of water and pasture had left many families struggling. Hellen Lokemer said the area had experienced total crop failure, while Irene Kukai noted that increasing numbers of women were turning to gold mining despite the associated risks.
Pastor Emmanuel Lonete, a former warrior, said peace actors had traversed remote areas preaching peace and bringing previously warring communities together. Resident Christopher Lokemer called on the government and other stakeholders to support community-led peace initiatives, saying sustained dialogue and reconciliation had helped restore peaceful coexistence along the border.
APERIT FM, HII NI YETU
