Elders from Laresoro in Samburu East have threatened to conduct a cursing ceremony for the current age set of Morans if they continue carrying out raids despite calls by elders of the Mooli age group for them to stop the practice.
During a meeting organized by REINVENT to bring together elders and youth, the elders warned a curse would be eminent as a way of disciplining the defiant youths if they continued conducting raids.
Francis Lekole said that the current morans from the locality have been a cause of many complaints within the community and even from neighbors which he said has forced the elders to put them on notice.
According to Francis if a curse like that is issued it will mean that those who are targeted by the curse will become outcasts of the community and bad omen will begin following them.
Francis said many of those who are cursed end up dying during raids or have problems siring healthy children.
He said that the curse is a form of punishment that has been used previously even as a warning since many fear what could befall them once the elders go ahead to conduct the ritual.
Henry Lenyasa, Waso East location chief, said that the community is against all retrogressive practices that have been part of the community’s culture.
According to Lenyasa, elders usually go through a series of meetings before issuing such a curse which is also a form of a judgment ruling that elders could issue after engaging with the perpetrators.
According to Henry, animal keepers should be ready to adhere to set systems of grazing with neighboring communities as a way of taming climate change and conflict between communities over grazing fields.
Kelvin Lelemoyok a youth leader said that cattle rustling has been rampant and welcomed the decision by the elders saying that the curse does work and helps to tame such practices.
Mohamed Amin the program coordinator said that the other action plans would be incorporated to ensure more sustainable approaches toward enabling communities to coexist even during the drought period when there is more intensified conflict for pasture and water.
