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Tension is brewing between the borders of Kitui and Tana River counties following a security operation in the Kuriti area on the common border.

Addressing a news conference yesterday, lawmakers from Tana River county blamed Eastern Regional Commander Joseph Napeiyan for allowing the operation to take place without their involvement.

Led by Bura MP Yakub Adow, the lawmakers who demanded that action be taken against the administrator, said that residents of the two counties had been co-existing in harmony until the operation was conducted, leading to tensions between them.

Said Adow: “The incident that happened is so unfortunate, we are blaming Eastern Regional Commander Joseph Napeiyan and Kitui County Commissioner should anything happen in the two counties. We have been living peacefully until this operation happened.”

He added: “One county security apparatus can just decide one morning to cause mayhem and disorder and we question why. Kuriti had peace and security but after the operation there were many injuries and loss of property.”

The lawmakers faulted the Ministry of Interior for initiating the security operation without prior consultation and coordination with local leaders on the security operation in the volatile region.

Adow claimed that it is regrettable that during the operation, officers used live bullets on innocent civilians who were not armed.
Said Adow: “Those officers used live bullets, we have the cartridge used on civilians who were not armed and this was uncalled for. I want to put on notice the Ministry of Interior that the Eastern Region Commander and Kitui County Commissioner will be held responsible.”

Avoid conflicts

Garsen MP Ali Wario questioned why the police officers were being drawn into border conflicts which could have been handled in a better way.

Wario regretted that such operations should be done in consultations with leaders from the two regions to avoid conflicts from arising.

He said: “The issue of the boundary is the work of IEBC but we have no commission. Unfortunately, police officers have become IEBC commissioners with the Eastern Regional Commissioner the chairman. We will not allow the boundary to be alerted.”

The move comes at a time when hundreds of people living along the borders have been fleeing the area due to the perennial clashes between Kitui farmers and Tana herders over land and pasture.

Prolonged drought has affected the herders, forcing them to crossover to the neighbouring counties and triggering deadly conflicts.