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Govt Shuts Kisii, Bomet Boundary
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 18 July 2007 01:55
A truck belonging to a Kisii businessman Murefu Ombuki was burnt at Ndanai Division in Bureti District as the war between the two communities intensified.
Two permanent structures belonging to members of the Gusii community who had bought land in Bureti District were pulled down and goods worth thousands of shillings looted.
In retaliation, marauding armed gangs from the Nyamira side raided Bureti area and torched seven houses. The skirmishes were sparked off over the weekend following cattle theft between members of the two communities. Security in the two districts has been intensified along the border. Nyamira DC, Mr Jamleck Baruga, yesterday led security teams from the two districts in asking the communities to exercise peace as the Government cracks down on those behind the animosity.
The team confirmed to the East African Standard that youths from Buteri and Nyamira districts who were wielding crude weapons have been arrested.
North Mugirango MP, Mr Godffrey Masanya, asked the Government to deploy more security personnel to the area.
Since the skirmishes broke out on Sunday, over 30 houses in the two districts have been torched and over 10 people seriously shot with arrows. Elsewhere, 14 more houses have been torched in the clash area. This brings to 34 the number of houses that have so far been torched since the bloodshed started last weekend.
Twenty-five suspects were arrested on Tuesday from the Bureti side and taken to Keroka Police Station, in Nyamira District.
Learning has been disrupted in at least 12 schools in the affected areas as pupils flee for fear of attacks. Rift Valley PC, Mr Aggrey Mudinyu, addressed members of the public at Tembwa location on the Bureti-Nyamira district border after meeting top police commanders.
But as he was briefed on the clashes situation, seven houses went up in smoke at Ekerubo location in Nyamira District hardly 2 kilometres away.
The meeting was disrupted for about five minutes as over 200 villagers alerted the security chiefs of the fresh attack.
Residents told the PC the 25 suspects who had been detained were innocent. Police were also accused of allegedly arresting innocent residents on their farms.
The PC promised to liaise with his Nyanza counterpart and have the suspects freed. A victim, Peter Rugut, had his three houses and a granary razed down and 21 bags of maize and household goods of unknown value.
A farmer, Elijah Mokone, from Nyamira lost 30 bags of maize and had his two grass-thatched houses burnt down.
The clashes were sparked off by the theft of 16 head of cattle.
