“They threatened to kill my daughter who is in Form 2. One of them, brandishing a knife, accused her of stealing his goat and threatened to stab her," he said at Imuumba on Monday.
"She was so scared. I watched helplessly as they terrorised her. My daughter got traumatised because her life has never been threatened before. We took her to hospital but she is still scared.”
The distraught residents said they are struggling with lack of decent shelter, food, water and healthcare services.
“We left our homes with nothing and here we have no source of income to fend for our families. We are depending on humanitarian aid from well-wishers who visit us from time to time,” Kilonzo said.
Faith Vaati from Kyeni village in Mutha ward said they cannot go back home yet or send their children to school as the area is still not yet safe.
“All the schools around here have been closed and some of our children are candidates in Std 8 and Form 4. We fear if the situation persists they may be unable to sit for their exams,” she said.
The residents urged the government to evict the camel herdsmen from Kitui county to restore security.
Speaking in Mutha on Sunday, when she donated food and clothing to the IDPs, Woman Rep Irene Kasalu urged the national government to abolish the illegal settlement in the South Kitui Game Reserve. She said it is the bandits’ hideout.
“We want the state to flush out all illegal inhabitants within the South Kitui Game Reserve who have been terrorising and even killing the locals adjacent to the protected area so that our people can live in peace,” Kasalu said.
Edited by Josephine M. Mayuya
