Scores flee Narok land clashes

Fifteen houses were torched on Tuesday, prompting hundreds of people to flee three villages of Trans Mara West District in Narok County.

The displaced people are camping at a police station.

It was the second night of violence in area.

Eight people were killed on Monday night when the violence, now blamed on land by the government, first erupted.

Although it had been said that the killing of a herds-boy caused the violence, Narok County Commissioner Kassim  Farah yesterday attributed it to land issues.

“The underlying issues of the killing and displacement of hundreds of people is land,” said Mr Farrah.

According to preliminary investigations, he said, the raping of a 12-year-old girl and the killing of an 11-year-old boy were just the triggers.

He said members of the Kisii, Maasai, Kipsigis and Kuria communities were fighting over the land.

The case is at the High Court in Nakuru awaiting judgment.

Mr Farrah asked the Judiciary to move expeditiously in determining the matter.

“We appeal for the judge dealing with the matter to finalise it so that the animosity between communities can come to an end.”

The administrator said they were closing in on two suspects believed to be behind the killing of eight people on Monday night.

Mr Fred Mititi, the Kisii County chairman of  Kenya Red Cross Society, said 70 families were camping at Lolgorian while 50 are at Enkoperiar. The Red Cross issued non-food items that included blankets, mosquito nets and soap to affected families.

Tension remained high in parts of Ntirango and Loliondo as the violence spread to Sominini village in Lolgorian. Hundreds of homes have been abandoned.

The Tuesday night  arson came even as police said they had deployed more personnel to curb the violence.

One of the victims, Mrs Monicah Sese, whose house was burnt, said that she was warned by some villagers  at  Sominini not to spend the night in the village.

“I had to sleep in a thicket ... I saw smoke bellowing from my house before I even got there,” she recalled.
Mr Stephen Moenga, who also spent the night in a forest, said that he was given five minutes to vacate or else he be cut into pieces. “I do not know any other home. I was born here, I don’t have anywhere to go. I ask the government to intervene so that I can get back to my land.

Anti-Stock Theft Unit, AP and GSU officers have been deployed in the area.