North-eastern10 June 2026 - 05:15

CS Duale urges peace as border violence claims lives

The most recent escalation occurred in April when a series of retaliatory attacks resulted in at least 12 deaths.

by STEPHEN ASTARIKO

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Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has urged leaders and communities residing in Tana River, Garissa and Kitui counties to embrace dialogue and end the recurring inter-community conflicts.

The border regions linking the three counties have for many years experienced recurrent inter-community conflicts largely driven by competition over scarce natural resources, particularly water and pasture.

The conflicts predominantly involve pastoralist communities from Garissa and parts of Tana River who depend on livestock keeping, and farming communities in Kitui and sections of Tana River whose livelihoods rely on crop production.

Over the years, the clashes have resulted in significant humanitarian and socioeconomic consequences, including loss of lives, destruction of property, livestock theft, displacement of families, disruption of trade and transport, closure of schools and deterioration of inter-community relations.

The most recent escalation occurred in April when a series of retaliatory attacks between communities living along the Kitui–Garissa–Tana River border resulted in multiple deaths.

At least 12 people were killed in successive revenge attacks, while many others were injured or displaced.

The violence triggered demonstrations, disruption of transport services and destruction of property.

Speaking during a fundraising event for Darulhikma and Taqwa madrassas in in Bura constituency, Duale warned that continued disruption of peace risked serious repercussions for the people living in the counties.

The CS further urged for calm and peaceful coexistence, noting that the counties where each community lives were God-given and that people don’t choose their neighbours.

“Without peace, our mothers will not be able to do their businesses, without peace, people will not go to the mosques, churches, without peace, our roads will become impassable and transport will be paralysed,” he said.

“I urge the people of Tana River, and we will talk to the leaders of Garissa, and Kitui, we all have been neighbours. We are neighbours because God deemed it so.

“You can choose a friend but you cannot choose your neighbour. Today, we cannot move Tana River to another place, or we move Kitui county or Garissa,” he added.

Duale’s sentiments were echoed by Bura MP Yakub Adow, who called for peaceful coexistence and the respect of territorial borders of the counties involved.

“We and the people of Kitui are peaceful. I want to tell the people of Tana River that all we want is peace. However, constructing police stations funded by the county government of Kitui inside borders of Tana River is unacceptable. We want peace but the lands of Tana River should be left to the people of Tana River,” Yakub said.

Hussein Argamso, a resident of Tana River, called on the residents from the counties to learn to coexist like neighbours, noting that factors that trigger the conflicts like scarcity of resources,climate-induced pressure on livelihoods are natural.

He said that unresolved boundary issues and weak conflict-management structures have remained largely unresolved.