NAIROBI, Kenya- Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina has demanded an investigation and compensation over the reported killing of cattle during a security operation in Samburu County.
In a statement published on Saturday, Ole Kina accused security agencies of targeting livestock in Waso and described the reported killings as economic sabotage against the Maa community.
“The killing of our cows in Samburu is not a security operation. It is economic sabotage against the Maa nation,” the senator said.
Ole Kina argued that cattle were a critical economic resource for pastoralist communities, providing families with food, income and money for school fees.
“Our cattle are our bank, our school fees, our future. When you wipe out herds in Waso, you do not fight bandits. You impoverish families and manufacture the next generation of desperate men,” he said.
The senator called on the government to determine who authorised the reported killing of the animals and to hold those responsible to account.
He also demanded compensation and a government-supported programme to help affected families rebuild their herds.
“Today I put the security agencies on notice. Investigate. Compensate. Restock. Or face the full weight of the Maa nation. Enough,” Ole Kina said.
The number of cattle reportedly killed, the exact location of the incident and the security units involved could not immediately be independently established.
The National Police Service and the Interior Ministry had not issued publicly available statements addressing Ole Kina’s accusations by the time of publication.
The dispute reflects longstanding tensions over the treatment of livestock during security operations in northern Kenya and other pastoralist areas.
In November 2017, lawmakers raised a similar matter in the National Assembly after livestock were shot during security operations in Laikipia.
Members demanded compensation for affected families and an apology from security agencies, describing the killing of cattle as an attack on pastoralist livelihoods.
Cattle carry major economic and cultural importance among Maa-speaking pastoralist communities, including the Maasai and Samburu.
The Samburu traditionally depend on cattle, goats, sheep and camels, while the United Nations has identified pastoralism as an important contributor to food security and the preservation of Indigenous knowledge and cultural heritage.
