Paradigm shift to Kenyan pastoralists

Dr. James Kandagor, a doctorate medic from the University of Iowa almost lost his life to the hands of armed Pokot men who were ready to trigger a riffle on him.

Kandagor having been born in Bartabwa in Baringo North Sub County with fluency in Tugen and Pokot language saved himself by pleading in Pokot Language that he was a Pokot and need not be killed.

In19th century, his close relatives had been killed by cattle rustlers and bandits which was rampant during the time until they were forced to leave their ancestral land thus being rendered homeless.

After the tragedy, Kandagor did not stop calling for peace in Baringo and its neighboring counties like Samburu, Elgeiyo Marakwet, Pokot and Turkana but initiated the anti cattle rustling and Kaporion peace net programme.

Kandagor said Kaporion peace net is a programme formed to compensate people who lost lives and property due to the massive killing at Chepkesin in Baringo North Sub County in 1907 where over two hundred young men died.

The men were said to be killed by Pokot men headed by Loiwalan who managed to lure the 200 warriors into the so called peacemaking between the Pokot and Tugen men in order to allow the Pokot to graze their livestock in the area to which they killed all the men on the spot before running away with hundred heads of cattle, Kandagor stated.

Kandagor said he was appointed by interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery as the CEO of anti cattle rustling programme in 18 counties affected by cattle rustling and banditry when he presented his proposal to the national government.

After conducting a peace race from Lake Turkana to Bogoria, cattle rustling menace reduced in Baringo County an action that probed Nkaissery to appoint me as the CEO of the program when President Uhuru Kenyatta accepted my proposal, Kandagor restated.

The CEO without hesitation initialized a 11 years anti cattle rustling programme that deals with all issues related to injustices caused by cattle rustling in Kenya.

Kandagor said that modern ranches shall be constructed in areas affected by cattle rustling and banditry majorly Baringo East sub county and its surroundings and shall benefit Tugen, Ilchamus, Marakwet and Pokot communities.

"I saw it better to start the programme at home to prove that it works because I believe what is practiced in Texas, America is also possible in Kenya and I want my county to benefit fast," Kandagor added.

Kandagor said once the ranches are complete, cattle rustling will be controlled as the ranches shall have two gates, four fences made of chain, electric, planted and cemented fences with Anti Stock Theft Unit police camp (ASTU)outside ranch.

The animals in the ranch will be sold inform of carcass as they shall be slaughtered before being taken out for sale and only herdsmen to be allowed inside the ranch with the animals bearing unique codes for identification, the CEO added.

Kandagor said the ranches shall be equipped with modern facilities such as exhibition yards, slaughter houses, water dams, vaccination centers, animal hospitals, milking yards, CCTV cameras and guest hospitals. Wildlife section and forest yards will be included.

The ranches shall be tourist’s site as visiting days will be selected to showcase the activities in the ranches and for viewing of wild animals tamed inside, the CEO remarked.

Kandagor explained that recycling activities for bones, horns, hoofs, hides, wool and teeth shall be done. Animal exhibition shall be done annually.

The CEO believes that through introduction of ranches, pastoralists are able to improve their living standards, send their children to school and practice modern ways of paying bridal price instead of the traditional way where raiding cattle was seen as a way of acquiring wealth to pay bride price.

Kandagor believe that the multibillion ventures are achievable as all the projects he started during his practice as a doctor such as Ampath programme which was initiated in 2001 were all successful and are applied to date.

Kandagor initiated Ampath programme in 2001 when he wrote a proposal to US aid after observing the stigma that HIV/AIDS patients went through as soon as they were diagnosed with the virus since they felt secluded from the community due to myths and misconception about the pandemic during the time.

The proposal went through and US aid donated three million US dollars that managed to build 104 rooms and later received 25 billion shillings for equipping the facility after writing the second proposal, Kandagor attested.

Kandagor said para lympics and deaf lympics were among the successful endeavors he started to enable people with disabilities participate in sports as part of exercise and a way of accepting them in society.

Baringo County Commissioner Peter Okwanyo supported the idea to compensate the affected communities and end cattle rustling saying everybody is accountable in the area where the cattle are driven to and that these who take the cattle are ordered to return them as soon as possible.

"Cattle rustling results from insufficient pasture which leads to trespass to the neifhbourhood thus encouraging livestock theft and coflict in such areas," Okwanyo added.