Tension along Taita Taveta-Kajiado border as one person is killed and dozens injured

Tension is high along the border between Taita Taveta and Kajiado Counties following the killing of a farmer, critically injuring dozens of others and destruction of property.

Locals said the farmer, Emanuel Musyoka, 50, was killed in the Njukini/Elerai area in Taveta Sub County following skirmishes between two tribes that have displaced over 1000 people.

Yesterday, Taita Taveta Governor Andrew Mwadime said the emerging clashes between the Kamba and Masai tribes were over the use of the land along the border.

The government has deployed General Services Unit (GSU) officers to defuse the tension between the two warring tribes.

“For those who have lost their loved ones, I stand in solidarity with all those whose homes have been destroyed and who have been displaced as a result of the clashes.

"As your governor, I share in your pain, and my administration remains committed to supporting you through this difficult time,” Mwadime said in a statement yesterday.

A human rights activist, George Mutuku, disclosed that the deceased was from the Kamba community.

He said four other Kambasa were critically injured and are fighting for their lives in hospital. Other sources, however, put the figure of those critically injured at eight.

A total of over 70 houses have been touched when the Maa community descended on the disputed area with all manner of crude weapons and burnt down houses belonging to the Kamba.

The Maa community claimed that Kambas had encroached on their land with a title deed, a narrative that the Kambas denied, saying they had been living in the disputed area for the last 50 years.

In retaliation, the Kamba community shot six Maasai with arrows, and they are still nursing injuries in Kajiado County hospitals.

“Panic and anxiety have gripped the area, and tension is very high. The government has imposed a dawn-to-dusk curfew in the area, and there is a heavy presence of police officers patrolling the volatile area that has been an epicentre of conflict between the Kambas, Taitas, Tavetas and Maasais,” Mutuku told The Standard yesterday.

Over 1000 people have so far been displaced and are starving, he said.

“I do not know any other home apart from Njukini, where we have lived for over 40 years,” said Peter Mbole, a local resident.

Yesterday, a high-powered delegation led by Governor Mwadime and his Kajiado counterpart, Joseph Ole Lenku, toured the volatile area to restore calm, unity and stability.

Mwadime said he held discussions with Ole Lenku, and they were all committed to pursuing a peaceful and lasting solution that will allow the border communities to continue coexisting harmoniously, as they have always done.

County Police Commander Jonathan Koech said the incident occurred in Rombo Ranch in Kajiado County, where clashes occurred.

Interestingly, the vast ranch traverses both Taita Taveta and Kajiado counties.

Koech said a consultative meeting will be held today between leaders from both sides to find a lasting solution.