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Where deadly mix of land and politics is used to incite youths
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 10 February 2008 00:12
The causes of the violence between residents of the newly created Borabu District and Sotik remain imprecise, although a political hand has been blamed for it.
In early January, a minor clash occurred in the region after two cattle theft raids from both sides, where houses on the Borabu side were torched by youths. It was quelled almost immediately.
The fighting erupted again following the shooting of Ainamoi MP David Kimutai Too, last week.
Leaders from both sides have called for deployment of General Service Unit personnel to help restore order.
Security meeting
During a security meeting called last Saturday by Rift Valley provincial commissioner Hassan Noor, elders from the Kipsigis community demanded that the provincial boundary be moved about 20 kilometres into Nyanza.
The PC’s two meetings held at Mogoiywek and Nyagacho heard that the Nyanza boundary should be moved from Chepilat to Metamaywa, which would bring Borabu District under Rift Valley Province.
The current clash is the first of its magnitude since 1992, during the first multi-party electioneering period. It took the intervention of former President Daniel arap Moi who held a rally at Chepilat and reconciled the two sides.
Borabu residents presented one major demand – stop the aggression. They blamed politicians for fuelling the fight.
Mr Noor, however, rejected the demand to shift the boundary and urged the communities’ representatives, who included Borabu MP Wilfred Ombui, to stick to issues that could end the violence.
Prior to the meetings organised by the provincial administration, Chepilat urban centre was flattened by youths. Many buildings were set ablaze.
Nyanza provincial commissioner Paul Olando and his security team toured the area Wednesday to calm the residents.
The team was accompanied by MPs James Gesami (West Mugirango), Onsare Monda (Nyaribari Chache), Chris Obure (Bobasi) and Omingo Magara (South Mugirango). They accompanied Mr Ombui, the MP of the affected area.
Borabu residents are accusing two politicians of inciting youths into pushing the boundary agenda. Those demanding the boundary change say Borabu people are occupying their land.
MPs Franklin Bett (Bureti), Lorna Laboso (Sotik), Kipkalya Kones (Bomet) and Isaac Ruto (Chepalungu) from the Rift Valley side and Mr Ombui have been campaigning for peace.
Those whose homes have been attacked say the raiders are well-organised and their attacks difficult to prevent.
Cattle theft has been a characteristic of the people living on the 30-kilometre border of Borabu and Sotik but it has never reached the level witnessed recently.
Elders usually demand that youths who steal cattle return them.
Before the Ainamoi MP was killed, two youths had stolen a cow from Sotik side, prompting a revenge raid where three cows and four goats were stolen from Borabu.
Borabu youths demanded back their animals but those from Sotik refused, causing a clash in which several homes were torched. The provincial administration stopped the fight and things normalised until the killing of Mr Too.
After the killing, there were spontaneous attacks on the border.
Sotik district commissioner Humprey Nakitare said 10 people had died, although people on the ground say more than 20 people lost their lives.
His Borabu counterpart Asha Kiiva said security patrols had been intensified on the border but there was need for a lasting solution, like putting up police posts in the area.
Borabu had been a division but was elevated to a district last December.
It is suspected that the boundary issue was pushed by politicians whose attempt to cause chaos using the disputed presidential election results as an excuse were nipped in the bud by the administration. However, several houses were burnt in Memisi.
The politicians are said to have taken advantage of the violence that erupted following Mr Too’s shooting, to pursue the boundary agenda.
Major highways
Mr Nakitare said security had been beefed on the major highways to allow transporters and passenger service vehicles to operate without interruption.
Mr Ombui says criminals under the guise of protesting against election results were attacking people and stealing.
Mr Magara called for more security personnel and at least a word from the Government to assure people of their security. He said there was need to assist those who had been displaced from their homes to rebuild houses when calm returned.
Youths from Nyanza were arrested at Keroka last Thursday as they headed to the clash area allegedly to guard homes left by fleeing people, causing unrest in the small town. But the police released them later, unconditionally.
