Kiambu leaders accuse Matiang’i of leniency on Ndeiya cattle raids
Leaders from Limuru and Kikuyu sub counties have accused Interior Ministry of underrating the escalating livestock rustling along the Kiambu/ Kajiado/Narok borders.
They said the rustling is likely to mutate into full scale tribal conflict between residents of the three administrative areas and urged Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i to address the matter urgently.
Led by Limuru Member of Parliament (MP) Peter Mwathi and former Ndeiya civic leader Nelson Munga, they said locals will resort to taking the law into their hands if the government fails to offer them security.
Mwathi said more than 100 livestock have been stolen and one person killed even after leaders from the three sides committed to ensuring to end rustling two months ago.
"Its the duty of the government to protect the lives and property of every Kenyan irrespective of their social status or location and therefore our demand is within our constitutional rights," he said.
This is after attackers made a series of raids in Rwamburi village in Ndeiya on Wednesday night and injured scores of locals, two of them seriously before stealing tens of goats and sheep.
"We held a meeting at the Bomas of Kenya exactly two months ago today which was attended by leaders including governors James Nyoro of Kiambu and Joseph Ole Lenku Kajiado and it was unanimously agreed that livestock hustling and hostilities between the Kikuyu and the Maa community would end".
"However, our neighbors have continued to steal our animals every other day which we want Matiang'i to intervene and help us recover otherwise their owners will have no choice but help themselves," he said.
Mwathi who spoke at Thigio Primary School after distributing relief food to locals, however, prevailed upon local residents to remain calm and give security apparatus a little more time to contain the situation.
Munga urged the government to demarcate boundaries of the administrative areas do that leaders and the general populace can be able to identify their area of jurisdictions.
"I think the problem which is taking a political angle can only be solved of the government purposes to mark boundaries so that those who go beyond their respective areas be termed as aggressors and action taken on them," he said.
Tension and suspicion has remained high along the borders for the past two months following the killing of a middle aged man and the injuring of several others during a bloody livestock rustling by suspected Maasai morans.
The daring daylight onslaught saw a heavily armed gang of close to 300 youthful men invade a village in Ndeiya, Kiambu county making away with 80 cows and and hundreds of goats and sheep.
During the invasion, a middle aged man was hacked to death while several others were seriously injured as they helplessly tried to fight of the invaders who were allegedly armed with guns and other crude weapons.
The attackers also extensively damaged a Kiambu county government vehicle assigned to the majority leader in the county and who is the Ndeiya MCA, Gideon Gachara, who luckily, escaped unhurt.
Kiambu governor James Nyoro and County Commissioner Wilson Wanyanga and the area police boss Ali Nuno had an uphill task trying to convince hundreds of visibly irate 'blood thirsty' men not to retaliate and instead give both the national and county government time to solve the problem.
The trio alongside other Kiambu leaders were attacked by morans who emerged from the ravines forcing the County Police Commander to shoot in the air prompting the attackers to retreat as the county commander and the governor were driven away by their aides.
Earlier, it had taken the governor's wise counsel to peacefully convince the unrelenting locals who were being ferried to the border in lorries, pick ups and motorcycles ready to attack.
The county commissioner immediately transferred all the Ndeiya police station police officers after locals claimed that they failed to respond to their distress calls during the bloody raid.
Wanyanga also committed to talk to his counterparts in Kajiado and Narok to help avoid probable incursions between the two communities.
"I promise to have all the stolen cattle returned to you my people ,I know you are bitter and sad but am promising you a comprehensive answer to this issue," said he.
MCA Gachara who was at the scene during the raid said the locals are tired of the insecurity in the area which looks very well planned and financed by unknown people who he claimed transported the raiders with lorries upto the Nachu SGR terminus.
Kiambu governor James Nyoro said that he is going to convene an urgent meeting with his Kajiado governor and Narok counterparts Joseph Ole Lenku and Samuel Tunai respectively in bid to have the stolen livestock returned to their owners.
"We have border politics that are being played here and we cannot accept the same to cause loss of lives ,” said Nyoro.
Kevin Karumbi, a herder who was with the deceased said that the over 300 men attacked them while armed with bows and arrows, spears overrunning the whole village.
The deceased hid in a bush but he was spotted by the attackers and clobbered to death.
