The government has heightened security at the volatile Nkararo-Enoretet border in Transmara subcounty after two clans clashed, one person was killed and more than 50 houses burnt.
At issue is 20 disputed acres over which the clans have been fighting for 40 years.
Curfew was extended on Friday from 4pm to 7am in the volatile area; elsewhere in the country it is from 7pm to 5am to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
Rift Valley regional commissioner George Natembeya said they have deployed the General Service Unit, Rapid Deployment Unit and Anti-Stock Theft Unit to restore calm after the Uasin Gishu and Siria clans of the Maasai Community fought.
“We are extending the duration of the dusk-to-dawn curfew in this region on top of the national curfew over the coronavirus as a way contain the conflict,” he said.
Naatembeya warned chiefs they face sacking if they fail to identify perpetrators of the violence that has forced many residents to flee their homes.
He also issued an ultimatum to holders of illegal firearms to surrender them immediately before forced disarmament is ordered.
Early this year, Natembeya visited the volatile area after a police officer was killed in a clash involving the two Maasai clans.
He promised the government would issue 1,200 title deeds to help end the dispute over 20 acres.
“There is no land for the Siria or Uasin Gishu community. The land belongs to individual owners and that is the reason why we have to ensure every person living in this area has legal documentation of his land,” Natembeya said.
He had directed the land adjudication officials to determine the exact correct boundaries. Then documentation will be given to legitimate to the residents to avert future crises.
The two warring Maasai clans have been fighting for more than 40 years.
The vast land in Transmara has rich soil in addition to rainfall where sugarcane, maize, beans and other cash crops grow well. Old mining is profitable in some areas, making land an emotive issue.
(Edited by V. Graham)
