Two people have been killed, more than eight injured and families have fled their homes following fresh clashes along the Kisumu-Kericho border.
Tensions that have been simmering along the border for the past three days over alleged cattle rustling have now erupted into a full-blown ethnic armed conflict that has claimed two lives – all from the Kisumu side.
Several people have also been injured, a house burnt and property of unknown value destroyed in Nyakach following raids by youths armed with poisoned arrows.
The latest victims of this latest flare-up are a Form Four student and a 22-year-old young man who was shot with arrows on Saturday, August 19, night while others were hacked to death with machetes.
Collins Ouma Odhiambo, a 17-year-old student at Kegoya Boys Secondary School in Vihiga County, was confronted by armed youths who stormed his home in Kasaye, North Nyakach Ward on Saturday night.
Inside their home, less than a kilometre from the border, a piercing scream rips the air as his grandmother mourns a grandchild whose promising future was cut short by the blade of a machete used by his attackers.
According to Mr Joseph Amollo Abuor, the secondary school student was on holiday when he met his death.
“Collins had been helping to move animals from his home to Ndori Primary School when he went back to get his jacket. The attackers caught up with him during the night as he ran into a barbed wire fence, unfamiliar with the terrain and unable to escape quickly. That is where he was killed,” said Mr Abuor.
Earlier in the evening, the same fate befell Charles Abuna, a 22-year-old from Jimo East in the same ward. He was fatally wounded by two arrows in the neck and chest.
Mr Abuor was also shot by an arrow in the shoulder but was taken to Pap Onditi Hospital where he was treated for his wounds and discharged.
Other injured, who numbered eight at the time of going to press, were admitted to Pap Onditi and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral hospitals, while others were treated and discharged on Sunday. The clashes were triggered by suspected cattle rustling.
According to Mr Abuor, more than 42 cattle and 32 goats have been stolen from them since January.
“We have been suffering for the past eight months, losing 42 cows to the criminals. We have anti-livestock policemen from both sides of the county who are not interested in recovering the stolen cows,” the 69-year-old said.
Mr John Odede Obuya, an elder whose house was also destroyed and animals stolen, claimed that nine of their cattle were taken by armed youths from Kericho County.
They burnt part of the sugarcane plantation in an attempt to flush out the animals and the thieves, but were unsuccessful. They only managed to recover one cow.
“After we failed to rescue our cattle and returned on Saturday, these people attacked us hours later in the afternoon,” said Mr Obuya.
He accused the police of always taking sides instead of helping to resolve the perennial clashes caused by cattle rustling.
Mr Obuya said numerous attempts to hold peace talks in the area over the years had failed because of the frequent cattle rustling.
Tension is rising in the area as hundreds of people continue to flee their homes, especially in the worst affected areas of Jimo and Kasaye.
Economic activity has also been affected as locals close shops and businesses for fear of being attacked and their property looted and destroyed.
On Sunday morning, a team from the Kisumu County government, led by Deputy Governor Dr Mathew Owili and several senior county officials, visited the conflict areas to gather first-hand information.
Governor Anyang Nyong’o issued a statement condemning the killing of the two Nyakach residents, who he said did not deserve to die over conflicts that could be resolved through dialogue.
“It is disappointing that the Ministry of Interior and Coordination failed to contain these clashes three days after tensions began to rise along the common border. The national government must have received intelligence about the impending fighting and could have nipped it in the bud,” said Governor Nyong’o.
He questioned where the anti-cattle rustling officers were when the cows were taken and demanded more answers, including the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators.
The governor called for urgent and honest reports from the police on the causes of these perennial conflicts and how they can be stopped.
“On our part, we are already talking to our people to embrace peaceful co-existence with their neighbours. The fighting along our borders must stop.Let there be no more deaths, injuries or destruction of property. Let the police live up to their motto of ‘Utumishi Kwa Wote’,” the governor said.
Prof Nyong’o wants politicians from the Kericho side to hold barazas and ask their people to lay down their arms and give peace a chance.
He also appealed to the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to immediately move into the conflict area to help restore peace and find a lasting solution to the ongoing conflict.
