TENSION HIGH AFTER A SOMALI HERDER IS DISCOVERED DEAD AT KITUI EAST

Tension is high in Yimumba area in Malalani location, Zombe Sub County in kitui east constituency along the border between Kitui and Tana River Counties, after a herder of Somali origin was found dead and his body dumped along yimumba road. The cause of his death is not yet known but police are still investigation the matter.

Hundreds of residents have so far fled their homes and several schooled closed, for fear of retaliatory attacks from the Somali. 

Last month, Kitui East Member of the National Assembly had issued an ultimatum requiring all herders of Somali origin to vacate his constituency within ten day, something which never came to pass.

Since the beginning of this week, armed herders with hundreds of camels have invaded farms belonging to the Kamba community forcing them to flee their homes.

Addressing residents who have fled their homes at Kinanie shopping centre on Sunday evening Kitui East Constituency MP Nimrod Mbai, said that dozens of lives had been lost in the Kamba Somali recurrent skirmishes yet no lasting solution has been found despite numerous efforts having been made to do so.

Mr Mbai said that security officials in the area need to be more vigilant because as it stands, the worst is yet to come in the area as Somali herders have time and again refused to vacate the area, even after being ordered to do so.

The legislator also accused are security officials of showing a lot of laxity in handling insecurity in the area, demanding for an overhaul of the entire police force and provincial administration in the area citing indolence and corruption among the officers.

"I beseech the Interior cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i to transfer all these security officers and provincial administrators working in Kitui East because they are polarizing security here because they have taken sides in wrangles" said Mbai.

Mr. Mbai noted that he was aware that the security officers in this border constituency had been compromised by the wealthy camel owners from North Eastern, and the herders have issued threats to the Kamba community so that they may flee their farms and leave room for grazing their camel.

"The administrators here are very corrupt, they see and hear nothing, and their existence is going to make it very difficult for us to achieve the much needed peace in Kitui East constituency" noted the MP.

The legislator attributed the security lapse to overstay of the officers in the region saying some had stayed in the area for over 3 years.

Mr Mbai claimed to have visited the area after a Somali herder was allegedly shot dead by his colleague after a gruesome argument.