Scramble for land in mountainous Saku Constituency has been identified as a major cause of conflict in volatile Marsabit according to Intelligence sources.
Saku Constituency is the headquarters of Kenya’s largest County but has a desert at North Horr and tropical climate in Saku. ”The Borana, Gabra and Rendille all want to occupy Saku. The reason is the place is arable,” said the Intelligence source.
In a statement by the county government, Governor Mohamud Ali and Senator Abubakar Harugura said the security committee must look at genesis of conflict in the county instead of arresting leaders’.
Other legislators Rehema Jaldesa (Isiolo), Ali Wario (Bura() and Qalicha Gufu (Moyale) joined the protest. The statement partly stated: ”In 2015, the then Governor of Marsabit county and now Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Services Amb.
Ukur Yattani engineered a plan to relocate Marsabit airstrip to Horonder area and subsequently resettled a section of Bubisa residents into the area.
This elicited a sharp reaction from Saku Member of Parliament Hon. Dido Ali Raso who raised alarm and registered his utmost concern with the National government.”
A statement signed by director of communication Bante Waqo added: ”Further, the Saku MP wrote a letter addressed to the then Internal Security Cabinet Secretary the late Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Nkaissery onto the same effect. After intervention by the national government, it was agreed that the new settlers will relocate back to their original land.”
They claimed Mr Yattani should also be probed. Yesterday tension was high in Marsabit as Saku MP Ali Rasso and his North counterpart were arrested.
Genesis of the conflict includes that of April 4 of last year where four Borana herders were killed in cold blood at Dololo Woyama while attending to their livestock by their Gabra rivals.
Frequent conflicts 0n September 5 of 2018, Borana herders were shot dead and their houses torched at Horonder area by heavily armed attackers believed to be from Gabra community.
Led by the interfaith council, all area leaders and county security team led by county commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo converged at the Catholic hall on Saturday morning to initiate peace in the region.
Kitiyo said there is proliferation of illicit firearms adding there is planned disarmament process targeting even the Kenya police reservists. On 13th Oct 2018, Marsabit County witnessed another unprecedented conflict in Shurr and Kubi Qallo leading to the killing of eight people, destruction of water points and massive destruction of property.
Livestock were also stolen at Kubi Qallo. Elected leaders on Mashujaa Day questioned why a section of Kenya Police Reservists (KPR) in Saku Constituency was asked to surrender their weapons for inspection.
The County Security Committee led by County Commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo and County Police Commander Wachira Mathenge said the rifles and ammunitions from the KPR was for ‘normal inspection.’ But their decision has sparked off a major uproar from some elected leaders in the county.
”This is a normal procedure, we did not disarm them but it’s routine procedure to inspect their weapons,” said the administrator, in response to why one side was called to his office for the exercise.