• The groups were armed with bows, arrows, spears and clubs
• Reporters, MCA Wambua, a taxi driver, and a woman scampered away immediately the warring groups emerged from their hideouts
Image: MUTUA KAMETI
Four people were injured at the weekend after two communities clashed over pasture and land along the Makueni-Kajiado border.
Three people suffered injuries during a raid on Friday evening in Mikululo village, Kiboko, Makueni. Another clash on Sunday left one person nursing wounds.
The groups were armed with bows, arrows, spears and clubs. One team accused the other of invading the 54-acre grazing field. They said a court had ruled in their favour over the ownership of the parcel.
“This land belongs to us. There is a group that has invaded our land. They injured our men, burned our makeshift structures and stole from us,” a man told journalists.
He said his house was broken into and a solar panel, battery, and a mattress, among other belongings, stolen. The attackers then set the house aflame.
The Sunday attack came barely minutes after reporters had interviewed the man.
He said he had been attacked by four men as he drew water on Friday. He was treated at Makindu Subcounty Hospital and discharged. His head was bandaged.
“I saw a chief who was armed in the other group we chased away. I believe he is the one giving instructions so we are attacked,” he said.
Before the clash, a group of men armed with spears could be seen from a distance. They dared the other group, which was armed with bows and arrows, to face them.
They shouted and charged towards the adversaries. The confrontation did not last long. The group with bows and arrows was repelled and its members fled.
The reporters, Makueni nominated MCA Albunus Wambua, a taxi driver, and a woman scampered away immediately the warring groups emerged from their hideouts in the hilly village.
They took cover in a nearby thicket and later walked three kilometres to reach safety.
By yesterday, tension was still high. Residents urged the government to intervene before the situation gets out of hand.
Image: MUTUA KAMETI
They said some structures were burned shortly after a peace meeting that was organised by Makindu and Mashru deputy county commissioners on Saturday.
One group accused an area administrator of taking part in the clashes.
MCA Wambua appealed to the administrators from Kajiado and Makueni to take swift action before the clash escalates.
“They should not wait to act when a life is lost. They should call an immediate meeting for all elected leaders from both counties to reason together on how to solve the problem. The administration should also consider putting a police post in the area,” he said.
Makueni county commissioner Maalim Mohamed said four people were injured but said the situation was not alarming as reported.
He said it had been reported that one of the groups was pursuing a herd of cattle when the attack happened. Mohamed said a team of security officers led by the Makindu deputy county commissioner and his counterpart from Kajiado would meet at the battlefield on Monday. He said police patrols had been intensified.
“I want to assure you we are on the ground and we will ensure there is no loss of life,” Mohamed told the Star in an interview.
He said some documents list the land as a conservancy that was recently given to one of the fighting communities through a court ruling. The Star could not independently verify the claim.
(Edited by F'Orieny)