Armed warriors attempt to disrupt Stephen Letoo’s Narok housewarming ceremony
Mr Stephen Letoo (back to camera) receives Narok Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu at his housewarming ceremony in Kilgoris, Narok County on Friday, October 13.
Security officers in Narok were called into action after armed warriors attempted to enter the home of journalist Stephen Letoo on Friday, October 13, evening.
The incident has raised tensions along the volatile Nkararo-Enooretet border in Kilgoris constituency in Narok County.
Mr Letoo, a political reporter with Citizen Television, had invited friends and colleagues to a housewarming ceremony.
Officers from the General Service Unit (GSU), who had been deployed to the area to maintain peace, fired into the air several times to repel the warring youths.
"It's terrifying. We had a peaceful event earlier in the day, but in the evening, gunshots and war cries rented the air," said Mr Angwenyi Gichana, a journalist and friend of Mr Letoo.
Narok Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu, his Kisii counterpart Simba Arati, Kilgoris MP Julius Sunkuli and several county assembly members from both Kisii and Narok graced the occasion.
Mr Ntutu urged the two clans of Uasin Gishu and Siria to maintain peace.
"We thank you residents for agreeing to maintain peace. We also thank the police officers who are guarding this volatile area," said Mr Ntutu.
But no sooner had he left the event than the youths started fighting.
Mr Stephen Letoo receives Kisii Governor Simba Arati at his housewarming ceremony in Kilgoris, Narok County on Friday, October 13.
Trans Mara South Deputy County Commissioner Abdihakim Jubat did not respond to our calls to confirm the situation at the border.
Mr Letoo's home is close to the Nkararo-Enooretet border, where two Maasai clans have been fighting for more than three decades.
Sources say there have been several attempts to enter Mr Letoo's home before.
Police sources told the Nation that they were on alert to deal with any eventuality.
"We will remain vigilant and ensure that calm is restored," a police source said.
In July this year, Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof Kithure Kindiki toured the border and warned residents against further fighting.
Following the perennial clashes between the two clans, which have led to the loss of many lives and destruction of property of unknown value, Prof Kindiki said the government had decided to set up a GSU camp at the Nkararo border to avert future attacks.
He directed all security agencies to ensure peace and security in Kilgoris Constituency, while all illegal weapons in the hands of residents are wiped out.
The CS also called on the security agencies to arrest any politician found culpable of funning violence in the region and arraign them to face the law.
He urged the Maasai community to continue to live in harmony and asked them to resolve any historical land disputes within the confines of the law.
Prof Kindiki warned that any government official found leaning towards any clan to jeopardise efforts to restore calm in the area risked being sacked.
“Any government officer, be it the one in charge of administration or a land officer, should desist from bringing politics into this matter. Even if you speak the same language with the warring parties here and then you are found compromising the situation, look for something else to do,” Prof Kindiki warned.
