Baragoi town rises from ashes after deadly banditry and ethnic conflict

Baragoi, in Samburu County, has become notorious for its cattle-rustling-fuelled violence that at one point led to the killing of 44 police officers.

Nestled in the rugged terrain of northern Kenya, the region has been ravaged by conflict since the 2000s, earning the picturesque Suguta Valley the nickname “the valley of death.”

Hundreds of villagers and security personnel have lost their lives in the senseless conflict between ethnic groups fighting over pastures and water points.

But for three years, the guns have fallen silent and the city, like a phoenix, has risen from its ashes.

Locals attended the opening of the first supermarket and the once warring Samburu and Turkana communities can be seen interacting as they shop.

Muchemi Njeru, a businessman from central Kenya, said: “We are enjoying peace after years of killings. The guns have fallen silent. Baragoi is open for business.”

When Njeru first set foot in Baragoi in 1999, the environment was hostile to business.

“I would open my shop at 9 a.m. and close at noon, as gunshots rang out and everyone rushed for cover. It was rare for a day to go by without massacres and cattle rustling,” he recalls.

And now, Njeru said, there is a supermarket where people of different ethnic backgrounds interact to buy food and other items.

Abigail Eria and Sarah Lekadaa, vegetable vendors a few metres from the supermarket, agree with Njeru that things have changed for the better in the town of Baragoi.

The duo say that for the first time in many years, there is peace and the city is calm.

“You don’t have to roll over when you hear gunshots anymore. That was before,” Eria explains.

“We lost our children in these senseless massacres. That has changed. We are a free society,” Lekadaa adds.

Lekadaa recounts that armed bandits used to roam the city in broad daylight, brandishing their weapons and shooting indiscriminately.

Samburu County Police Commander Thomas Ototo said members of the Samburu and Turkana communities are now living in harmony.

“Now they mix, shop together and hug each other. The neighbourhood is peaceful,” Ototo told The Standard in an interview on Tuesday.

He said security agents are working with local leaders and members of both communities to maintain peace.

“This is a new Baragoi where people have learned to accept peace and live in harmony. We intend to continue on this path,” Ototo said.

The police chief blames the proliferation of illegal weapons in the hands of civilians for the deadly cattle raids that have ravaged the region for decades.

“The operation to seize illegal firearms was a success. Some firearms were surrendered voluntarily while others were confiscated,” Mr. Ototo said.

According to Ototo, the business boom has breathed new life into the town of Baragoi. Samburu North MP Eli Letipila said the area had recently seen an influx of investors.

“As leaders, we are now talking to our people, showing them the enormous potential of the region and how we can benefit from the resources we have,” the lawmaker said.

Letipila said the Samburu County government had deployed surveyors to the area to demarcate the land.