12 people are reported killed in Mwingi in the last couple of days. It follows attacks and counter-attacks between two communities trying to survive.
One community, basically pastoralists, is said to have driven their camels too far into the other community’s land. And yesterday, as the offended community tried to drive them away, a schoolgirl was killed.
The community’s anger drove them to seek revenge, and today, 12 people were killed. The Mwingi-Kitui Road today looked like a war zone. As some people threw stones, others threatened to use bows and arrows in retaliation.
Mwingi residents have called on their leaders, including Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, to go and witness the deadly chaos and provide a way forward.
Meanwhile, some leaders convened a meeting and demanded the removal of all camels grazing in Kitui County. Stating that Kitui residents are peaceful, they insisted that others respect their boundaries.
The ASAL Issue is also a National Problem.
The leaders said they cannot continue to withstand the atrocities meted out on their people as a matter of routine. They specifically named rape, maiming, and abductions as part of the harm the locals are exposed to.
They also said that some terrorists can easily disguise themselves as herders, the same way the bombers of Garissa University a decade ago hid within the surrounding community. Therefore, the government should address the recurrent conflict between communities in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL).
It is times like these that Kenyans seek to know who is who in the security organs of the country. Kitui residents must wish to know whom to direct their cries to, as external invasions tragically disrupt their lives.