Tension was high in Kasang’u village in Endau/Malalani area of Kitui East on Sunday as homes remained deserted following the Friday evening shooting to death of a 47-year-old man by armed camel herders.
Another man from the area is reported missing with residents suspecting that he could have been abducted by the bandits with fears that he too could have been murdered.
The area's MCA Dr Erastus Mbuno said on Sunday that since the Friday cold blooded killing of Muli Mitanga, locals who heard gun shots fled into the bush in fear where they have been hiding since.
“Despite the heavy rain pounding my area, the affected residents are now living in the bush having to brave cold nights and rain. People are really suffering and need humanitarian support like food beddings and clothes,” he said on phone.
Mbuno accused the government of not assisting in either tracking the bandits who killed Mitanga or helping in the search for the missing man. “Police only arrived on Saturday afternoon. They collected Mitanga’s body and disappeared,” said the MCA.
Deputy County Commission for Mutitu, Pandaleo Mwamachi, under whose area the incident occurred, said on Sunday that he could not share appropriate information with the media as the matter was still under investigations.
“I have dispatched a team that is still in the area. As of now, I do not have the right information until they report back to me,” said Mwamachi who is the head of security in the area.
Mbuno said the bandits ambushed Mitanga at his miraa kiosk at Kasang’u market while in company of another trader. He said the armed herders opened fire hitting the man in the stomach.
“As the deceased was hit by the bullet his colleague fled to save his life. He must have died a very painful death as the attackers slashed him several times on the head, neck, stomach and the chest,” said the MCA.
He said what surprised the residents the most, is that the killers dragged the body on a footpath for about two kilometres and placed it on top of a camel carcass.
“It is like they wanted to dupe us that the man was killed because he had killed a camel. That trick cannot hold water since we have evidence the man was murdered at his miraa kiosk,” Mbuno said.
He added on Sunday he was personally leading residents in search of the man who had gone missing. He identified the missing man as Kunu wa Masila.
The MCA said it was suspected that he too could have been killed and his body dumped in the bush. He added the leso and a cap he had clad at the time he disappeared have already be found in the bush by a search team.
Mbuno called on the government to move in and flush out the killer camel herders from the area to guaranteed locals their security. He said the police should also help search for the missing man.
“In the areas where the murder occurred, there is a serious mobile network challenge. Action should also be taken immediately to install a network mask to ensure crimes are reported as soon as they happen,” he said.
