KENYA: Normalcy returned in Kitengela town in Kajiado after two days of skirmishes between two warring groups over a market space.
Speaking to The Standard after a daylong patrol of the town, Isinya police boss Steve Wenda asked residents not to associate the stabbing to death of a man to the skirmishes.
"We are holding several people who are assisting us with investigations. Therefore, we are telling people not to speculate on the incident but to allow us complete the investigations," he said.
Wenda said four suspects have been arrested and are helping the police with investigations.
''This is totally a different case and not related with the market issue, we are treating it as a normal criminal offense for now'' he added.
Local leaders also appealed to the Maasai community to be calm and to wait for the police investigations before reacting.
''We are not happy with the people who are inciting the community through the social media and other news outlets. We have nothing like tribal clashes in Kitengela'' said Kitengela/Sholinge ward MC Daniel Kanchori.
He attributed the death of the middle-aged Maasai man to misunderstanding between two people and not communities.
''I am appealing to our people including all the communities leaving in this town and in the county at large to be calm and avoid those inciting people against others'' said Kanchori.
However, normalcy returned in the ever busy town following the running battles pitting the two groups. However, tension remained high in the town.
A contingent of anti-riot police officers drawn from the General Service Unit, Administration Police, and their regular counterparts made patrols.
Many business premises including banks and other institutions remained opened the whole day.
Bodaboda riders who operate in the town were back a day after they were advised to keep off by the police.
On Wednesday, several people were injured when chaos erupted making Kitengela a no-go-zone.
Trouble erupted when two groups disagreed on how to share space after the county government demolished the market last month.
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