Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai and county commissioner John Odengo have clashed over killings by camel herders, leading to the displacement of thousands of residents.
Mbai said on Sunday that Odengo has failed to guarantee the security of residents in Kitui East and adjacent areas. The MP said armed camel herders had been attacking, hurting and killing residents.
But the county commissioner dismissed the claim, saying concerted efforts by the county security committee had restored security and normalcy had returned to the affected areas. Odengo said on Sunday that Somali camel herders who caused mayhem and bloodshed have been pushed out of Kitui.
The administrator said the MP appeared to have an unexplained personal grudge and immense hatred towards him.
Mbai, who spoke in Kitui town, demanded the removal of Odengo from the county.
He accused Odengo of being unsympathetic to the people killed by camel herders and hundreds of families in his constituency and neighbouring Kitui South who have been left homeless.
Suspected camel herders shot dead a man in Kivuo village, Kitui East last month. Another man was beheaded by the herders in Kalambani village, Kitui South.
The killings, Mbai claimed, had triggered an exodus of up to 4,000 families from their homes as they feared for their lives and had turned into IDPs.
On Sunday, the MP claimed the IDPs were still languishing in makeshift camps and children were out of school. He also accused the administrator of failing to visit the displaced persons to address their plight.
But speaking on the phone on Sunday, Odengo said he had led the county security team to the affected areas, contrary to Mbai’s claims, to assess the situation and security measures had been put in place.
Odengo said security had been restored and camel herders driven out of Kitui. He said the IDPs were living in camps at the instigation of the MP.
He said learning at school had resumed and security officers have been stationed in the institutions to guarantee security.
He said if the MP thought he was the cause of insecurity, he is free to approach his bosses to remove him instead of going to the media.
“I'm transferable, and he should only ask for my transfer if he thinks that can solve the insecurity problem,” the county commissioner said.
