Police pursue 26 suspects as four people are killed in North Horr constituency
At least four people have been confirmed dead and another injured following a strain between two ethnic groups in North Horr Constituency, Marsabit County, over yet-to-be-established reasons.
The dead are reportedly four men, two from each of the co-existing Gabra and Wayu pastoralist communities, all killed by use of guns, which the criminal investigations department (DCI) has launched investigations into their origin.
Marsabit County Commissioner James Kamau, while warning members of the public against taking the law into their own hands, said the tension was triggered by the discovery of the bodies of two young men from the Gabra community in the Qorta area who had been reported missing.
Mr Kamau, while addressing the press at the county headquarters after chairing a three-hour county security and intelligence committee meeting, said some members of the afflicted community went on a revenge mission by staging an attack in a Manyatta at night, killing two men from the Wayu community.
The county commissioner added that one woman also sustained gunshot wounds when the revenge-armed attackers raided the Manyatta Sunday night and was in a stable condition.
The CC disclosed that among those on the DCI radar was a senior national government official from North Horr and area MCA who is said to have incited and sponsored the mayhem.
“The detectives have clear instructions on what to do with the list of 26 suspects that we have received, which includes recording statements with the police in the shortest time possible over the matter,” said the CC, adding that DCI detectives have been dispatched to trace the suspects.
The CC, who was franked by the County Police Commander Lenard Kimaiyo and the area CEC member for devolution, administration and cohesion, Amina Challa, said a number of households in Dukana Sub-County have been left homeless after their houses were set on fire.
The displaced, he said, have sought refuge at the Dukana police station and the nearby border patrol unit (BPU) camp.
Mr Kamau assured the affected areas and the entire Marsabit County community that concerted efforts were being employed to restore normalcy and urged residents to love one another and coexist in harmony.
He warned elected and aspiring political leaders of dire consequences against those engaging in hostile activities such as incitement to violence.
call for peace
call for peace
Ms Challa appealed to Marsabit residents to uphold the restored peace with communities living harmoniously with neighbours, their multi-ethnic composition notwithstanding.
She said that much had been spent on peacebuilding efforts which saw communities resolve to coexist peacefully on their own volition, and called on the government machinery to relentlessly pursue the perpetrators of the reported violence in North Horr.
Ms Challa said the county government planned to send some humanitarian aid to the affected and appealed to other well-wishers to chip in and assist the affected.
Local leaders who included the head of Marsabit Women Advocacy for Development Organisation (MWADO), Nuria Gollo, condemned the violence and asked local communities to embrace perseverance and forgiveness whenever a mishap occurred.
She implored the government to move with speed and arrest the culprits in order to send a warning to those planning similar crimes,, adding that women and children always bore the brunt whenever fights erupted.
