A polytechnic student, Muteti Kimwele, was killed by suspected camel herders on Saturday in Kamuthanga village in Tseikuru, Kitui, county.
He was in a group that was attacked by armed herders believed to operate from Mwingi National Reserve.
The killing has sparked tension in the area amid fears that locals might enter the reserve to avenge the death of one of their own.
Kaningo location chief Kitheka Syengo, under whose jurisdiction the incident happened, said the herders killed the youth aged 20 by stabbing him with a knife several times.
“The deceased, who was in the company of his father and others, was returning from an unclear night expedition inside the Mwingi National Reserve when he was killed,” Syengo said.
He added the group of men was confronted by the herders who were armed with rifles and opened fire, forcing them to scamper for safety. No one was shot.
The chief who spoke on phone on Monday said the attackers cornered the student and wrestled him to the ground. He said they then stabbed him to death. He said the young man appeared to have managed to duck bullets but he was killed with daggers.
“When police arrived to collect the body later on Saturday, it did not bear any bullet wounds but had numerous stab wounds. The body was then taken to Kyuso Level 4 Hospital morgue for preservation,” the chief said.
He said after committing the murder the attackers disappeared into Mwingi National Reserve. The reserve is hardly policed and camel herders have moved in to graze their livestock.
Kamuthanga villagers who spoke to the Star on condition of anonymity said tension was mounting in the area as they contemplate moving into the Mwingi National Reserve for a revenge mission.
Edited by Henry Makori
