Massacre in Kipao Village took us by surprise, say leaders and police

Security agents and community leaders in Tana Delta district on Sunday said they were taken by surprise by the latest attacks that left 41 people dead at Kipao Village.

Head of operations Anthony Kamitu, Tana River County Commissioner Joseph Rotich, Tana Delta DC David Kiprop, District Criminal Investigations Officer David Siele and local leaders said the Friday attack occurred when it was least expected.

Briefing Coast PC Samuel Kilele who toured the area on Saturday, the leaders said a peace meeting between leaders of Orma and Pokomo communities had been held a day earlier, where each side assured the other that they wanted peace.

“We held a peace meeting involving the chiefs of Ngao and Kipao who assured us that everything was fine; that peace was everywhere. So this attack shocked all of us,” said Mr Kiprop.

He told the PC at Ngao airstrip that a lot of peace initiatives had been carried out in the area and that community members and leaders from both sides had been fully involved.

“Actually, all of us were taken aback by the fresh attacks. We thought all was well because of the elaborate peace initiatives,” he said.

Mr Kamitu told the PC that security forces were ready for deployment to any village, including Kipao, on Friday night “but we were informed all was well”.

Tana River peace committee chairman Ijema Godana said his team had gone round the district spreading the gospel of peace and all people seemed to embrace it.

However, he said, there were still worries among the Orma community that they could be attacked by their Pokomo neighbours as nine guns stolen from police officers in September had not been recovered.

AP Commandant and chief of security operations Peter Pamba yesterday confirmed that none of the guns and bullets had been recovered.

Irate villagers at Kipao kicked out Mr Kilele and the provincial security team on Saturday after 39 people were killed in clashes on Friday.

The villagers, armed with spears, bows, arrows, pangas and sticks, refused to be addressed by the security team, forcing the officers to board a police helicopter they had arrived in and leave in a hurry.

Mr Kiprop, who had accompanied the PC, described the reception as “unparalleled hostility”.

Meanwhile, one more suspected attacker was yesterday captured and burnt to death by angry villagers.

His death brings to 11— the number of suspected Pokomo raiders killed following the weekend attack.

Mr Pamba condemned the burning of suspects, saying apart from being illegal, it was making it difficult for police to get evidence.

“Why kill him? This is tantamount to concealing evidence because we would have used him to help in investigations about the attack— its origin and organisation,” he said.

On Friday, villagers prevented GSU, AP officers and Red Cross personnel from collecting the bodies of nine suspected Pokomo attackers, which were guarded by youth at the central court of Kipao Village the whole day.

After burying their dead in the evening, the villagers set the bodies of the attackers on fire.

On Sunday, the remains of the bodies formed a heap of ashes and bones, still smouldering.

Unconfirmed reports also indicated that an Administration Police officer had gone missing under mysterious circumstances following the attack on Kipao.

Mr Pamba could not confirm or deny the reports but said police were “carrying out security manoeuvres”.

Sources said the officer, who was in a contingent ordered to track down the attackers, had gone missing and had not been found by Sunday.