Kenya: Tribal clashes claim 3 lives, displace hundreds

By Magdalene Mukami

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – Tension is high in western Kenya after tribal clashes broke out earlier this week, leading to the deaths of three people and leaving scores injured.

In total three people have died, in violence said to have been sparked by a recent cattle theft in the area, along the border between Kisumu, a county on the shores of Lake Victoria, and the county of Nandi to its north.

Joan Atieno, 51, told Anadolu Agency in a telephone interview that the attackers were travelling in groups and going from village to village stealing cattle.

“They were coming from everywhere, all armed with pangas [machetes],” she said. “If you do not surrender your cattle, they will slice you to pieces or worse kill you. So far three people have died in this area. Police are there during the day but at night it’s a different story.”

A resident of the village of Odiwangi in the Senghor area – where the first death was reported – in Kisumu, speaking anonymously due to safety concerns, added that the attackers were also armed with poison arrows and spears which they had used to kill her neighbor.

It is not common for the Luo people – who practice farming and fishing – of Western Kenya to fight with the Nandi people, who are pastoralists. On Friday this resulted in a mass exodus in the affected area in Muhornoni constituency, with people, including Atieno, packing and going to seek refuge at the African Inland Church (AIC) Achiego.

The Red Cross says that more than 30 families are seeking refuge at the church.

Nyanza police chief Willy Lugusa, who confirmed the deaths to Anadolu Agency, says that security teams have been deployed in the area to aid in restoring peace, and more than 200 families have so far been displaced by the clashes.

“We are not going to tolerate any acts of hooliganism. Any person who is found creating an impression that you are attacking another person…we cannot expect that.”

Schools and towns in the areas have also been deserted, as students, teachers, and businessmen stay away in fear for their lives.