Kitui South leaders have started an operation to flush out camel herders in the area, days after a resident was allegedly hacked to death by bandits.
The deceased, only identified as Mutuku, was killed days after the herders assaulted his pregnant wife after she refused to give them water for their camels.
Residents said Mutuku reported the incident to the police and a few days later he was killed.
Kitui county commissioner Erastus Mbui said the operation is ongoing.
He said it was illegal for the herders to have invaded local farms, leading led conflict and loss of lives.
Mbui said police officers lead in driving the camels away from Kitui.
Area MP Rachael Kaki Nyamai said in the last month, two people have been killed by bandits, bringing the total number in Mutha ward to 48.
She said it is enough proof that there's insecurity.
Nyamai said evicting them as the government did by destroying their camp at Inyali in 2019 would save the residents.
“The government spend so much money destroying Inyali camp where the herders stayed but they have since returned, I plead with security personals to ensure the same is done for peace to prevail,” she said.
The MP said apart from killing residents and forcefully grazing into their farms, they also rape women and girls.
Nyamai said in late Mutuku's homestead, they torched his house to displace them.
Her Kitui East counterpart Nimrod Mbai urged the camel owners to drive away their animals from the area.
He called on the Kenya Kwanza government to deploy more security personnel to help in the ongoing operation.
He said failure to do that, they will take the law into his own hands.
“The camels are so many and we require the county commissioner to strengthen his security team or the formed units to be deployed to ensure they are driven out of Kitui,” he said
MCA Dominic Mwamisi called on the security agencies to ensure suspects who killed a resident on Saturday are brought to book.
He also questioned why the herders have guns, yet the residents are not armed.
Mwamisi said residents are preparing their farms for the rainy season, but with the camel invasion, this is impossible as several have moved to the bushes, away from their homes, in fear of attacks.
About four weeks ago, a Std 6 pupil from Kalambani area was also hacked to death.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
