An irate mob that accused three people of purchasing more than 100 Chapatis in Namalu Trading Center, Nakapiripirit region, nearly killed them.
The three unidentified males, who were thought to be Pokot pastoralists, went to the Namalu Trading Center on Sunday evening and bought an inordinate amount of chapattis, which alarmed the persons watching them.
Following their purchase of chapatis, the neighbourhood residents took an interest in the group and began questioning them about why they were purchasing so many chapatis before beating them.
According to Prasede Aleper, a female councillor for Namalu Sub County, the three people managed to avoid being lynched by the mob who thought they were delivering chapattis to rustlers hiding in the bush.
Aleper claims that Rudy was turned against the group by the enraged townspeople, but that Rudy promptly called the police, who came to their aid and saved the day.
Aleper added, “We could not allow the angry mob to lynch them since we were not sure, but we suspect them to be among the raiders hiding in the bush.”
In order to survive in the woods, Aleper reported that there have been instances of fighters hiding in the bushes using some of their allies to buy food for them, mainly chapattis and local beer.
According to her, this has increased community vigilance, and anyone purchasing more than 10 Chapattis is assumed to be working with cattle rustlers.
The LC3 chairperson of Namalu Town Council, Tom Olaka, accused Pokot pastoralists of bringing their livestock into the area and destroying people’s gardens.
Olaka further mentioned the widespread livestock theft by alleged Pokot raiders disguising themselves as pastoralists searching for grass for their cattle.
The incident was confirmed by Michael Longole, a spokesman for the Mt. Moroto regional police, who also claimed to have discovered the community holding an illegal rally in an effort to drive the Pokot population from Namalu due to increased insecurity.
Longole claimed that the Joint Forces were able to clear the Namalu Bridge illegal road obstruction and disperse the enraged crowd in quick succession.
Longole stated that things have now cooled down and people are back to their regular activities.
Longole claimed that after receiving complaints from locals, the Pokot were accused of routinely raiding the Pian settlements while armed with guns, bows, and arrows.
The police and its sister Agencies stated in August 2021 that they will begin detaining and questioning anyone found purchasing more than five Chapattis.
According to security, their intelligence reveals that some customers who purchase more than five chapattis end up giving them to rustlers hidden in bushes after they have fled their homes to avoid detection.
