Nyanza Regional Commissioner Ms. Florah Mworoa has urged the two factions of Kuria clans to desist from violence and embrace peace.
Speaking during a security baraza that brought together security heads from Migori County at the Biasumui Primary School in Nyabasi West Ward, Kuria East Sub-County, Mworoa said that it was only through community dialogue, integration and proper security coordination that a community could live in harmony.
The security baraza comes at a time when the two factions of the Bwirege and Nyabasi clans have been fighting over cattle theft, accusing each other of stealing cattle and smuggling them across the borders of Transmara in Narok County and the neighbouring Tanzania.
The clash has left one person dead and interrupted school activities, as well as the social and economic activities in the area.
According to the Biasumui Primary School Head of Institution (HOI) Daniel Mahiri, the clashes forced grade 6 and 9 candidates to sit for their national examination at the neighbouring Nyamangogwi Primary School, four kilometres away.
Mahiri explained that the pain of undergoing and experiencing violence firsthand may have physiological effects on the candidates and may affect their final examination outcome.
The school was closed indefinitely, leaving grades 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 with unfinished exams due to the escalating security tension in the Ward.
He, however, urged the security authorities to provide adequate security to allow teachers to return to the school and administer the exams before the final submission deadline of December 1.
“I am urging my teachers to return to the school to enable our learners to complete their examinations to ensure their progression next year,” he said.
Residents of the Biasumui area have also called upon the RC and the security personnel in Migori to move with speed and arrest those causing havoc, as well as thieves involved in the cattle theft to return normalcy in the area.
Kechoko Kibiriti, a resident of the area, said that it was high time for the security agencies and the local administration to find solutions for the insecurity to ensure lasting peace.
He elaborated that they would not allow a few individuals involved in the cattle theft syndicate from both the communities to jeopardise peace, love and unity enjoyed by the area residents for years.
“We cannot farm, do business or even attend to our sick in the hospital for fear of being attacked,” he decried.
Jane Boge, another resident of the area, explained that they would be forced to ask the government to compensate them for the lost animals, adding that it is the work of the security agencies to protect their lives and property.
What started as the theft of one head of cattle in January this year developed into a large-scale syndicate of organised crime of cattle theft among the two communities, who have continued to accuse each other of hiding their kin’s involvement in the illegal trade.
Migori County Commissioner Kisilu Mutua assured the residents that the National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO) would work closely with locals to identify and arrest those propagating security threats and those involved in cattle theft and illegal smuggling to restore sanity in the region.
Mutua also urged the locals with illegal firearms to surrender them before the security operation starts in the area.
By Awuor Andy and Makokha Khaoya
