A court in Kyuso subcounty, Mwingi North in Kitui, has slammed brakes on the eviction of Somali camel herders from Northern Kenya who have encroached on Ngomeni.
Senior resident magistrate John Aringo restrained the Kyuso deputy county commissioner Reuben Kimosop and members of his security committee from interfering with the stay of the camel herders.
The court order comes at a time Kimosop and Kyuso subcounty police commander, Beatrice Nduku, were carrying out an operation to drive out the herders from marginal areas of Ngomeni.
Residents, led by MP Paul Nzengu, had complained that the camels have been destroying crops and terraces.
Nzengu also raised concern over possible differences in scarce water and pasture resources.
But on Monday, herders led by Hilole Roble obtained the order from the Kyuso court against the deputy county commissioner, Kyuso OCPD, Ngomeni OCS and the Attorney General.
The order restrained the respondents and their agents from evicting, encroaching, disposing of, demolishing, wasting, alienating or in any way interfering with the peaceful existence of the applicants until the full hearing and determination of the case.
Aringo ordered that the main suit would be heard on September 26.
The order also restrained the respondents from blocking the applicants from accessing water wells.
On Tuesday, Kimosop and Nduku confirmed that they had received the court order.
The OCPD said they will abide as they wait for the determination of the case.
On Saturday, Nzengu visited Ngomeni and expressed concern over the security of his constituents.
He said there was a need to evict the herders.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
