Goats feed on shrubs by the road.
The killing of two people at Vitengeni in Ganze Sub-county, Kilifi county after a conflict between herders and residents, has caused tension in the area.
Ms Kadzo Mwalimu, 32, was allegedly hacked to death by the herders who raided her homestead in Milore village.
Her husband was fighting with one of them who claimed that his goat had been stolen.
After the Sunday night incident, the body of a herder was found in a thicket later on Monday after he was attacked by a mob in retaliation.
Speaking to Nation.Africa, Mr Kingi Wanje said he was outside with his wife fetching firewood in the thickets near their homestead at around 7pm, when they saw the herder moving while flashing his spotlight.
“The herder confronted me and said he was looking for his goat which had just given birth and was missing, and so he was accusing me of stealing the goats,” he said.
Mr Wanje said a fight ensued, and the herder pounced on him with a rungu and machete. He was discharged from a private hospital in Milore on Monday evening.
He said that during the fight, his wife was watching from afar when the herder screamed for help, and immediately, two other herders came.
“My wife thought we would end the fight and she sat at a distance staring at us when two other herders came and attacked her with machetes. They killed my wife,” he said.
The herders leased land from Mr Wanje’s neighbour and they have been there for about two months.
"I have raised the issue about the livestock trespassing with my neighbor and even our local leaders in vain and I decided to leave it at that,” he added.
The body of the herder suspected to be the one who fought Mr Wanje on Sunday night, was found later on Monday afternoon by the community, who had attended a security meeting in Tinyanguo village led by Ganze Sub-County Police Commander Paul Yator.
Reached for comment, a representative of the herders on Wednesday said they were at Vitengeni police station to consult with the police. He however said he did not wish to disclose much information about the incident.
A relative of the deceased woman, Mr Benson Karisa, said the security team called for calm and peace amid the tension.
A senior police officer in Kilifi, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he lacks authority to comment on the matter, said investigations had started, but no suspects had been arrested.
The herders, who come from pastoralist counties in the North Eastern region, often lease land for their livestock in parts of Kilifi, due to scarcity in their areas.
However, this has always led to conflicts since residents complain that the livestock often stray into their homesteads and destroy crops in their farms.
In August last year, angry residents from Vitengeni attacked over 35 cows belonging to the herders in a move to drive them away, accusing them of trespassing.
Kilifi County Assembly Speaker, Teddy Mwambire, said the conflict is a county problem that needs urgent intervention.
The former Ganze MP accused the security agencies of laxity while allowing the community to engage in ambiguous land lease agreements.
He said the community is convinced to allow livestock owners to lease land with the assurance that there will be no issues, only for conflicts to erupt.
