‘Sons’ of Tana join peace drive

District commissioners from Tana River County serving in various parts of the country have been called home to bolster peace efforts in the clashes-hit area.

The four DCs launched the peace programme at Garsen Town on Wednesday with more administrators who are “sons” of the county expected to join them later.

Sololo DC Nobert Jara Komora, Mr Abdullahi Galgalo Hiddi of Mathira West, Mr Mohamed Haji Dara of Thika West and Mr Moar Dima of Wajir West, said they had been directed by President Kibaki to broker peace among the Pokomo, Orma and Wardei communities.

“Our mission is to reconcile the communities and restore peace, urge our people to return illegal guns to the government especially those taken away when police officers were killed at Kilelengwani village and 580 bullets also stolen in the same incident,” said Mr Dara.

The DCs were hosted by their Tana Delta counterpart, Mr David Kiprop, during the first public meeting.

Mr Dara said a series of peace meetings had been lined up for the affected villages and the Tana Delta as a whole.

“Five hundred and eighty bullets are in the hands of criminals and that counts to the same number of lives in danger here. We want you to return those bullets and the guns to the government immediately,” said Mr Hiddi.

Mr Komora said: “The only lasting peace in Tana River will come from the Orma, the Pokomo and the Wardei, not from outsiders. The foreign communities you see here settled or doing business came because we were peaceful. We can only attract more investors if we maintain peace.”

Mr Komora urged the pastoralists (Orma and Wardei) and the farmers (Pokomo) to respect each other’s cultural values.

Mr Dima said due to clashes in 2002, 2007 and 2012 when elections were around the corner, it was obvious politics had a hand in them.

“Tana River today is among the least developed areas in Kenya. Education is low, poverty is high. Why don’t we fight these enemies instead of fighting each other?” he asked.

The second meeting is scheduled for Odha village.

Tana River MPs accuse security forces of laxity.

Speaking separately on Thursday, Bura MP Abdi Nuh and his Garsen counterpart Danson Mungatana said the police had resorted to mishandling residents rather being their protectors.

“The police keep on talking of inaccessibility in the area yet the militia manage to get to these very places. Let them tell us if they are afraid. They have choppers and boats, so let them do what they were posted there to do,” Mr Nuh told the Nation.

“We expected the police to be humane in their approach but the way they are conducting the operation is more scary than friendly,” Mr Mungatana said at a Mombasa hotel.

He claimed that instead of flushing out the militia from the forests where they are hiding, the officers had turned their wrath on innocent people.

Reports by Daniel Nyassy, Galgalo Bocha and Amina Kibirige