Don't kill each other over boundaries, we have government agencies to resolve such disputes, Northeastern regional commissioner Mohamed Birik has told residents.
Two weeks ago, Garissa residents protested and torched houses, after three people were killed in Lagdera by suspected clan rivals from neighbouring Isiolo county.
“We don’t want to lose people over something that can be resolved. Everyone should preach peace and live in harmony with their neighbours,” Birik told elders in Habaswein on Wednesday.
Apart from county borders, there are boundary feuds between constituencies, among them Eldas and Wajir West, Wajir South and Wajir West, and Lagdera in Garissa and Wajir South.
These disputes, Birik said, will soon be resolved by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
The administrator said the government will soon embark on a disarmament programme to mop up illegal firearms, which he said have been a challenge.
Birik urged residents not to take the law into their own hands. "Kenya is a country that has laws that protect everyone," he said.
“Skirmishes and inter-clan fighting have been the source of underdevelopment in Northeastern. Islam, which the majority of the people profess here, is against killing.”
Birik ordered parents whose children might have crossed over to Somalia to inform the authorities.
This, he said, will help the state monitor their movement upon their return in the wake of homegrown terrorism.
“Everyone has a responsibility in security. We must flush out any suspicious characters in our midst,” Birik said.
Edited by Eliud Kibii
