•Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai said the deployment comes after the loss of life, destruction of property, cattle rustling and rising tension in the area.
•Residents accuse the political class of being behind the fighting.
Image: COURTESY
General Service Unit officers have been deployed in parts of Marsabit to restore order amidst escalating community conflict.
Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai said the deployment comes after the loss of life, destruction of property, cattle rustling and rising tension in the area.
GSU commandant Douglas Kanja is leading the operation.
At least nine people have been killed.
Among those killed was a class three pupil forcing the closure of several schools.
Police confirmed the latest fighting which has halted transport along the busy Marsabit-Moyale road and led to the closure of various businesses within Saku town.
Mutyambai condemned the week-long conflict calling for a lasting solution.
“The government expresses dismay over protracted animosity between communities in Marsabit,” he said.
Mutyambai warned the perpetrators that their days are numbered as they had dispatched a multi-agency team of specialized security officers led by the GSU to restore peace and order.
Residents accuse the political class of being behind the fighting.
The violence between two dominant communities has undertones of politics according to security agencies and comes at a time the country is gearing towards an electioneering period.
On Saturday, police in Pangani, Nairobi arrested a man, after a 25-kilogram explosive consignment that had been concealed as spare parts were recovered in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area.
It came amid fears the explosive could be used to attack residents.
According to the police, the consignment which is usually used to blast stones had been sent from Migori to Moyale through Eastleigh.
However, on reaching Eastleigh for transfer to a Moyale bound bus on Saturday, it was discovered, after the driver raised an alarm.
“We are holding the man for questioning. It is not yet clear why he concealed the explosives as spare parts,” Starehe police boss Julius Kiragu said.
According to detectives, the man said the explosives were to be used in a quarry, but he did not have a license.
Police said such explosives should not be transported using public means.
So far, police said there are no terror links to the incident, but said investigations were underway.
“Those explosives can be used to manufacture anything. That is why we cannot just make conclusions without investigations,” Kiragu said.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris