Armed violence leaves seven dead in Marsabit County

 A mix of banditry, inter-clan feuding and political intrigues has led to the deaths of at least seven people in a renewed wave of insecurity in Marsabit County.

The Sunday killings of a 13-year-old boy and a 30-year-old man in Arapal, Loiyangalani Ward, are the latest in a wave of violence.

Top county leaders are now demanding that the government tackles the rising insecurity before more people are killed.

Trail of devastation

Besides deaths, armed raiders have left a trail of devastation and hundreds of animals dead.

Residents in the affected areas said the resurgence of cattle rustling was aimed at restocking animals that have died in the ongoing drought affecting the region.

Loiyangalani police boss John Losia said last Sunday attackers also sprayed bullets on 12 cattle and a donkey.  No arrests have been made but security officers have been deployed to pursue the criminals.

The conflicts in Marsabit County are sparked by competition for scarce resources such as water and grazing land, and political intrigues.

Mzee Erro Lasapisho, who witnessed the Sunday killings, said the attackers left before security teams could arrive because the area is remote and hard to reach.

Poor communication due to harsh terrain has made it difficult for officers to recover the animals or monitor raiders’ movements.

Three days before the Sunday attack, Mzee Lasapisho said, bandits believed to be from a neighbouring community had attacked the Arapal camp but were repulsed by herders, resulting in a shootout and the death of two attackers.

“Arapal is the only area where animals can find pasture and water, and it has also become prone to bandit attacks,” Mr Lasapisho said.

Peace committees

County leaders have lamented that local peace committees have become ineffective and are serving vested interests for financial gain. The leaders also accused local authorities of treating cattle raids casually.

Last week, unknown people in Kituruni, Saku Constituency, killed Mata Waqo, the Borana Peace Committee chairperson.

The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) urged authorities to investigate the killing, saying it was part of attempts to derail peacekeeping efforts. Last month NCIC member Abdulaziz Maalim led warring communities into signing a peace accord.

“Mr Waqo will be remembered for his immense contribution to the Marsabit peace process. We call on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to swiftly investigate the heinous killing,” NCIC chairperson Samuel Kobia said.

On the same day, Mr Halkano Wako, a boda boda rider was shot dead by unknown people in Gabra on his way home, sparking a retaliatory attack in which Mzee Issack Gollo was killed in his shop in Marsabit Town.

Saku MP Rasso Didio linked the new spate of killings to the unwillingness of unnamed individuals to implement peace agreements.

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