Herders want Lamu West MP Julius Ndegwa to apologise to them for saying they should be driven out of Lamu county.
Speaking to the Star in Mombasa town yesterday, they said he should retract his statement.
The herders said they have been living in Lamu for more years than Ndegwa and they have never been responsible for insecurity.
“It is wrong for a leader to call for the removal of certain communities from a specific area,” Lamu West Livestock Development Initiative chairman Kalmey Hared said.
Hared, who was with member Mathar Aden, said many factors contribute to insecurity in Lamu but the presence of herders is not one of them.
“We have lived in Lamu since the 1940s and have been keeping livestock ever since. At no time have we been the cause of insecurity,” he said. Aden said Ndegwa’s call for the removal of certain communities from Lamu is ironic as he was welcomed there just as the herders were.
“He must know the people who voted for him are the same ones who welcomed him here,” he said.
On Saturday, Ndegwa said the presence of herders from other counties is a major cause of insecurity in Lamu.
He said most herders from Garissa and Tana River counties hide terrorists who cause mayhem.
On Wednesday Mvita MP Abdulswamad Sharrif and MPs from e pastoral communities condemned Ndegwa’s remarks.
Lamu politician Rishad Amana on Tuesday accused him of incitement.
