Four clan members killed in love triangle

TURKANA, KENYA: Four clan members were killed while two others sustained gunshot wounds when two families clashed in Kokorio area in Turkana West Sub County.

The tragedy unfolded when a 37-year-old man led his kinsmen to the other family to demand for compensation from a man whom he claimed had snatched him his culturally married wife.

The man, who was among those who died, claimed that he had married the woman in contention in a cultural ceremony and paid heavy dowry to the parents.

After the compensation talks allegedly failed, Philip Eris rallied the support of his three kinsmen to go and round up the animals of his alleged husband snatcher.

The four traced their tormentor at Kokorio water pan in Lokichoggio border point where he was watering his livestock and forcibly rounded up his animals, prompting an ugly argument which resulted in a scuffle leading to the death of the four.

Police said the suspected killer whose name they had not established by yesterday, was in company of another man and were heavily armed. They attacked the six, killing four and critically injuring two others, before they fled.

According to Turkana culture a man found to have had an illicit affair with another man's wife is either stoned to death or have all his property taken away by the aggrieved family in exchange of the adulterous wife.

It was for this reason that Eris had pursued the attacker, who he had persuaded to honour the compensation rite for the past three years.

Turkana West OCPD David Nyabuto confirmed the incident.Nyabuto said the deceased and his clan members forcibly attempted to drive a way the animals when they met resistances from the owner of the animals.

"It was unfortunate a shoot-out ensued when the deceased and his clan men attempted to drive away the animals from the owner when they were shot dead by their rivals", Nyabuto said.

He said the two critically injured clan men  were taken to Lokichoggio for treatments.