Three persons were killed in an early morning ethnic confrontation gunfire between two villages in Elgeyo Marakwet County.
The incident occurred after two ethnic groups clashed over border disputes in the Mogil district of Kerio Valley, Elgeyo Marakwet County.
Scores of people were injured as a result of the ethnic conflicts, with eyewitnesses reporting that emotions grew after one group went to a nearby village and set fire to a house over a borderland dispute.
According to Elegeyo Marakwet Police Commander Zablon Okoyo, police personnel have already been rushed to the area and have managed to calm the tense situation, even as they remain vigilant to ensure the issue does not spill over into an ethnic clash.
“It is about a land dispute between two clans that had an early agreement about some parcel of land, but the agreement was not well furnished,” Okoyo stated.
“Unluckily today in the morning, there was a gunfight between the two sides that left the three with fatalities and the injuries recorded,” he added.
The Police Commander did not dive into the specifics of the injuries, such as the exact numbers reported.
“We are still mitigating the situation to see that the effects do not spill over and see that we bring the two communities together.”
However, Okoyo dismissed concerns about escalating tensions, describing the occurrence as an isolated incident and stating that the region has been peaceful for a long time.
The latest crimes occur at a time when policing agencies are on high alert following the national government’s efforts to curb ethnic conflicts and banditry in the region.
Despite the government’s efforts to restore normalcy, several schools in the North Rift’s bandit-prone areas had yet to resume normal service as of December 18, last year.
According to the Ministry of Interior, 13 schools remain closed across three counties: Baringo, West Pokot and Turkana.
An operation called ‘Operation Maliza Uhalifu North Rift‘ was initiated in March 2023 with the primary goal of putting a stop to livestock rustling and inter-community wrangles in the North Rift region.
Several regions of Baringo, Turkana, Samburu, Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot, Marsabit, Laikipia, Isiolo, and Meru were classified as ‘disturbed and dangerous’.
To combat the threat, the government has merged the efforts of the National Police Service and the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
