Deadly raid as seven are killed, shops torched in Kitui village

As residents of Kwa-Kamari trading centre in Tseikuru, Kitui County, went on with their routine chores on Saturday evening, they did not know that danger was lurking in the vicinity and soon there would be a ghastly blood bath.  

The peace of the small trading centre lying about 60 kilometres East of Tseikuru town was, however, within a short time disrupted by a deadly burst of gunfire.

According to witnesses, suspected heavily armed bandits believed to be camel herders from the North Eastern region ambushed the trading centre and left behind a trail of death, injuries and shock never witnessed in the recent past. 

In their first attack, the bandits, believed to be about 40 and who were armed with guns and machetes, ambushed a woman at her food kiosk and sprayed her and her two customers with bullets, killing them instantly.

To rub in their terror, the criminals descended on the bodies with machetes as the locals took off. They then set ablaze several shops, a motorbike and a fuel station.

A police report recorded at Tseikuru Police Station indicates that when the police arrived at the scene hours later, they found three bodies lying next to each other, with gunshot wounds and deep cuts.

The police also recovered several spent special ammunition cartridges. 

As the bandits fled the scene of the first attack, they came across a group of locals who were weeding a neighbour’s farm. And without provocation, he opened fire, killing four other people on the spot.

A few others sustained gunshot wounds on the legs as they fled from the attack. 

After the attack, the criminals escaped to the nearby Mwingi North National Game Reserve, which connects to Kora National Park and has become a haven for the camel herders and thousands of their animals. 

Kitui County Commissioner Erastus Mbui confirmed the killings, saying that the victims’ bodies were taken to Kyuso Level IV Hospital mortuary. The Commissioner further revealed that one man is currently admitted at Tseikuru Level IV Hospital with gunshot injuries.  

Mr Mbui noted that a multi-disciplinary police operation was currently underway within the Kwa-Kamari area and the game reserve.

“There is an operation already going on. We don’t want people inside the national game reserve. Anybody found there will be treated as a suspect,” the county commissioner warned.   

The attack comes just a week after the government disarmed National Police Reservists (NPR) who have been operating in the region to bolster security. 

Yesterday, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja dispatched a high-powered security team led by Deputy Inspector General of Kenya Police Eliud Lagat to “exhaustively investigate all aspects of these retaliatory attacks.” 

Kanja, through a statement dispatched by National Police Service spokesman Muchiri Nyaga, said the police will take necessary action to combat the violence and urged community leaders of both Kamba and Somali communities to speak the language of peace and reconciliation.

The locals and the National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO) believe that the killings are part of a series of retaliatory attacks between the local farming community and Somali herders who invade the area with thousands of their animals in search of pasture and water.

“A local farmer was killed by the herders recently and in turn, the locals attacked and killed some camel herders. This is clearly a counterattack,” said a resident who identified himself only as Mwasya. 

For now, Kwa-kamari Trading Centre has been turned into a ghost centre as locals have fled even from their homes to hide in the bushes, fearing more attacks. 

The panic-stricken locals have urged the national government to deploy enough police officers in the area, especially at a nearby police post that was constructed by the county government.

In addition, the area residents have called on the government to comb the vast Mwingi North National Game Reserve, flush out and disarm the pastoralists. 

The hinterland of Mwingi North has never been safe, and incessant bandit attacks are routine, pitting local farmers against herders from the northern counties of Wajir and Garissa who enter Kitui county through the neighbouring Tana River county.

At one time, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki faced a scare from the bandits when he toured the region, only for the militants to fire shots just a few kilometres from where he was addressing the locals.