At least eight people have reportedly been killed and about sixty houses burnt down in separate incidents in Bangale Sub-County, Tana River County.
The tragic incident which occurred at the KBC grounds was reportedly triggered by a land dispute between two communities following the decision by the County Government to relocate one of the rivalling communities to the disputed land.
The Tana River county Government is reported to have relocated one community to land that allegedly belonged to another community, prompting revolt by the land owners.
According to witnesses, the eight were killed by unknown people suspected to be from the rival community. The victims are reported to have been sprayed with bullets, highlighting the magnitude of conflict in the region.
Media and Police outside a crime scene in Kenya.
Photo
KNA
During the unfolding, the residents accused the area police officers of their reluctance to resolve the matter despite several calls by the locals for them to intervene. The locals who spoke to the press said that the eight were killed on two consecutive days within the week.
While expressing their frustrations over the unprecedented killings, the locals noted that it was not the first time such friction had been reported in the area.
According to one of the residents, people are killed each time the County Government effects relocations.
“People are just being relocated there for them to be killed, even those who were taken there the other day including three men have been killed, and four were killed today in two separate includes,” narrated a local.
“I heard the first gunshot and the second one, and during the incident, the police vehicle was close to the scene of the incident. I even thought the police officers were going to intervene but instead, they drove away. Currently, I have no faith in police officers,” the resident claimed.
It is not the first time that people have been killed in internal clashes in Tana River, just a month ago, four people reportedly died following a deadly clash between two herder communities in the same Bangale Sub-County of Tana River.
A police investigation linked the death of the four to a suspected revenge by a rival community over alleged rape. The elders who spoke to the press noted that the death of the four had resulted in tensions in the area.
“That was an unfortunate incident, it should not have happened. It is a matter that we want to trust the elders to resolve even as we investigate the underlying causes of the incident,” the Tana River County Commissioner stated.
The county commissioner pledged to resolve the matter through the help of the village elders even as he put on notice the perpetrators. The official noted the appropriate action would be taken on persons found culpable once investigations are completed.
A police car at a crime scene in Kenya.
Photo
NPS
