Police sent to avert border clashes amid rising tension
What you need to know:
- The row was sparked after some people cut down trees at the Poto-Poto Village in Chemelil Ward, a move that sparked protests from members of the communities who live in the area.
- Nandi County Commissioner Matilda Sakwa said that security teams from Tindiret, Nandi South and Muhoroni districts met and urged the two communities to coexist peacefully.
Police have been posted to the border of Nandi and Kisumu counties to forestall violence between communities living in the volatile area.
Two communities had on Monday clashed over felling of trees on the boundary.
The row was sparked after some people cut down trees at the Poto-Poto Village in Chemelil Ward, a move that sparked protests from members of the communities who live in the area.
Nandi County Commissioner Matilda Sakwa said that security teams from Tindiret, Nandi South and Muhoroni districts met and urged the two communities to coexist peacefully.
“The situation is under control. Initial investigations reveal that the disagreement arose after a man, who was trying to change the original boundaries between the two counties, cut down the trees,” Mrs Sakwa said.
She urged leaders from the two warring communities to preach peace and warned that those who incite their tribes will be dealt with firmly.
The administrator said that police were on high alert as the border area has, in the past, suffered bloody ethnic conflicts arising from livestock theft.
Hundreds of hectares of sugarcane were burnt two years ago after the two communities engaged in violent clashes.
