By Nick Oluoch and John Oywa
It has been one of the most protracted and destructive inter-clan conflicts in the country. While most communal conflicts involve spears, arrows and machetes, protagonists from Bwirege and Nyabasi clans in Kuria District fight with guns.
Last year, more than ten people died, hundreds of animals stolen and thousands of villagers displaced from their homes.
One year later, however, despite the Government’s assurance all was well, Kuria remains tense, with intermittent raids between the two clans.
The Government says it has recovered many firearms and ammunition from combatants, but the sound of gunfire still ring across the ridges.
Chance to change guns
Local leaders say the surrendered guns were quickly replaced with fresh supplies smuggled from a neighbouring country. And residents insist the fights are politically engineered.
Since last October, more than 40 illicit guns have been recovered in Kuria East and West Districts. But a Ntimaru resident in Kuria East Martin Mwita says that isn’t the solution. He says unless the actual causes of the conflict were resolved, mop up of illegal guns will remain a routine exercise.
"The residents hand in their guns then quickly acquire new ones from Trans-Mara and Mara province in Tanzania," he says.
He adds that over the years, several attempts to persuade the locals to surrender illegal firearms have not yielded much. He describes the ‘routine’ exercise as "another opportunity for residents to replace old guns with new ones".
A peace campaigner, Ken Maroa, claims hate speech and tribal incitement is the region’s worst poison.
"The National Cohesion and Integration Commission should closely monitor rural constituencies because that is where the violence starts," he said. "Politicians make their community feel they would be sidelined unless one of their own is elected as MP."
Also most residents agree with Maroa that cattle rustling is the main reason for the skirmishes as has been believed for years.
Other factors
Mr Chris Owala, the Nyanza regional co-ordinator for Partners for Peace, says the clan fights in Kuria was deeply rooted and could snowball into a serious disaster. He blames politicians for exploiting the high poverty instances and skewed distribution of resources to incite the communities into violence to consolidate their bases.
"Extreme poverty is directly linked to the underlying violent structures, a situation that is exacerbated by unreliable trends in rainfall, food insecurity and economic recession that makes young people vulnerable to manipulation and enticement with money by political class during elections," said Owala.
He adds: "The fact that politicians only allocate devolved funds to their clans have fuelled the animosity and revenge."
Owala, who is also the executive director of the Community Initiative Action Group Kenya, said most of the communities prone to violence were those perceived to be marginalised by the Government.
"The Kurias have suffered historical injustices. None of them have been appointed a PS or a minister. Area MP Wilfred Machage was only appointed a minister for less than three months," says Owala.
