A grand conservation project in the Tana delta might have contributed to the massacre of 52 pastoralists and three farmers. Scramble for votes to divide the strong between Pokomo and Wardei is also believed to have ignited the clashes. Pastoralists say they were not consulted in the plans to set up the conservancy project which they fear will lead to their eviction.
Politicians from the pastoralists community allegedly drafted three grand plans to win top seats in Tana River but fear their numbers are limited and will not make it without the help of another community. For them to capture the top seats they need the support from a community beleived to be Wardei, which has in the past had deadly clashes with the Orma community.
The report reveals that the Ormas, uncomfortable with a relationship between the Wardei and Pokomo, decided to break it so they can form a larger voting bock. They allegedly sought a venture with the Wardei community in May last year, promising to share the seats. The latter declined to join them following their past encounters.
When the plan failed, the Orma allegedly asked their herdsmen to kill a Wardei herdsman and later claimed he was killed by Pokomos. The Pokomo used an Orma, according to sources, to access Riketa in a revenge mission that led to the massacre. It is also alleged that some local leaders held two fundraising claiming the funds were to be used for education but it turned out to they were used to purchase firearms from Somalia through Hulugho on the Kenya-Somalia border .
The guest of honour in the June fundraiser was Uhuru kenyatta. Chiefs and their assistant in Kilelengwani were allegedly informed of imminent attacks but failed to act on the reports leading to the raid of Kau that left three people dead. A Chief in one of the areas affected also expressed his frustrations in the manner in which his seniors handled the issue as he sent text messages to the local OCS, DO, and the DC in regards to the matter two days earlier when tensions were high but failed to take any action.
"I forwarded the text messages to my seniors but they tunred against me accusing me of being an alarmists,'' revealed a chief in an interview. The chief is now fearing his seniors could victimise him and loose his job for what happened and is in a condition of fear following the incidents that happened. "I am ready to resign, there is no meaning of being an administrator if the information we supply to the higher authorities are taken lightly, my people now look at me as a traitor who cannot protect them,'' he said.
FOR THE RECORD
The headline 'Conservation project may have caused Tana massacre' published on page 12 of the Star yesterday may have given the impression that we are referring to Nature Kenya's conservation activities. This is to clarify that Nature Kenya is a non-political, non-partisan organisation established in 1909 to promote the study and conservation of nature in Eastern Africa. It is facilitating the work of 18 government ministries which are seeking to establish programmes that will offer long term solutions to the problems facing the people of the Tana Delta.