Uganda: 32 Kenyans sentenced to 20 years in prison for possession of weapons

Thirty-two Kenyan herders have been sentenced to 20 years in prison by a court martial in Uganda after pleading guilty to illegal possession of weapons, a military source told AFP on Thursday.

The 32 men, arrested on Saturday and tried in Moroto, an area in northeastern Uganda bordering Kenya, were found "guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition," said Brigadier General Joseph Balikuddembe , stationed in Moroto.

According to this officer, the 32 herders from Turkana county in northern Kenya were arrested after intense firefights. Some 31 rifles and 762 cartridges were recovered in a joint operation by security forces and intelligence services, he said.

Armed clashes are frequent in this region where the porous borders of Uganda, South Sudan, and Kenya are located, in particular for the control of livestock which is becoming increasingly rare due to a historic drought that affects East Africa.