President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has moved to address the gun crisis at the Kenya - Uganda border, a crisis that has led to loss of innocent lives and endangered thousands of others in the two East African nations.



On Wednesday, June 8, Museveni met top security organs drawn from different units in Uganda over the volatile situation in Karamoja region, which according to police sources in Uganda, is spilling over to Kenya.

During the meeting held at State Lodge in Kapchorwa, Eastern Uganda, Museveni noted that the gun issues affecting some parts of Kenya should not affect Uganda's efforts to weed out infighting and cattle rustling in his country.

"The issue of guns in Kenya and South Sudan should not concern us. The problem is internal. Because if you try to tie our internal security problem with what happens in the neighbouring countries, we shall never get peace," Museveni told the security officials.

With the cases of gun violence increasing and rustlers attacking one another in Uganda and spilling over to some parts of Kenya, Museveni explained the need to set up police units per county to prevent the community enmity from grounding the neighbouring countries.

He further directed police to declare a full-fledged operation to weed out cattle rustlers and recover guns in the hands of civilians.

While issuing the command, Museveni drew a comparison to the operation in Kenya which he described as being effective in handling the issue of cattle rustling.

"And as you say, within Kenya, they don't raid one another because of the effectiveness of the police. It's effective there that's why they don't raid among themselves. We need the same seriousness on this side," Museveni explained.

Museveni's sentiments come just a day after Interior Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiang'i, declared a dusk to dawn curfew in parts of Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, and West Pokot counties for 30 days over security concerns.

Justifying the move to impose the curfew, Matiang'i maintained that it will pave way for security agencies to mount a security operation against banditry and deadly conflicts in the area.

The curfew followed a series of disarmament programmes in the three counties. So far, hundreds of illegal weapons have been surrendered including a sniper gun that was stolen from a police station in 2019.

"We are beginning to draw two critical exercises that we want to do which include reorganizing deployment in that area and declaration of a curfew," Matiang'i explained.

He added there shall be no public gatherings, processions or movement either alone or as a group during the period of the curfew.