Hope for peace in Tana as leaders vow to end chaos

Winners and losers who contested various seats in Tana River on Friday pledged to preach peace in the county that has previously been hit by ethnic clashes between two communities.

The candidates from the Orma and Pokomo tribes made public declaration to keep the peace and resettle those hit by previous clashes.

Even though members of the Orma community won most of the seats in the county, Pokomo candidates, who lost, vowed to work with the winners to end the animosity.

Garsen constituency MP-elect Ibrahim Ahmed Sane shook hands with his closest competitor Joel Amuma Ruhu and both pledged to rally their communities to leave the past behind them and pursue the path of peace.

Mr Sane and Mr Ruhu’s symbolic public hug sent a powerful message that the warring communities had buried the hatchet and are ready to open up a new chapter in their relations.

During a joint press conference, Mr Sane and Mr Ruhu declared that there would be “no more violence in Tana River.”

Mr Sane promised to address the issue of the more than 35,000 displaced persons living in internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps across Lamu, Kilifi and Mombasa counties as a result of the violence.

“Our first priority is to return Tana Delta residents back home so that we can start rebuilding our region. I will look for sponsors to rebuild destroyed homes and help the displaced re-settle in villages”, he said.

Mr Ruhu, who conceded defeat, pledged to rally the Pokomo community to support the winners and to participate fully in all development programmes in the area.

In the historic elections, the pastoralist Orma and Wardei communities swept all the seats except in two county wards where Pokomo candidates won.

Their declaration, therefore,  heralded a new beginning for people in the region who have borne the brunt of fights between both communities since 1972.

Hundreds killed

Between August and December last year, more than 200 people were killed in the violence that was attributed to control of water and pasture.

However, pending elections were blamed for the escalation of the conflict.

Upon being declared the winner at the Methodist Church Hall at Garsen on Tuesday, Mr Sane was carried shoulder-high by thousands of jubilant supporters and they later met with Mr Ruhu’s followers and both addressed their supporters jointly.