Bring Trans Mara inter-clan clashes to an end

Fresh fighting along the Enoororet-Enoorsoen border in Trans Mara West, Narok County, early this week left more than 30 people with arrow wounds.

The conflict, between Siria and Ruasi Ngishu clans of the Maasai community, was sparked by a dispute over a border. The latest outbreak of violence came a month after 15 people were shot with arrows, while three others sustained gunshot wounds in a fight over the land.

And although a modicum of peace has been restored following the dispatchment of a contingent of police officers to the troubled area, tension still remains.

In August 2018, five people lost their lives in clashes that started in Narok County and spread to the neighbouring Nakuru County. At the time, the government had mooted plans to evict people encroaching on the Mau forest, but politicians, later accused of fanning the violence, objected to the plans.

Narok County Commissioner Samuel Kimiti has suggested that politicians could be behind the latest flare-up. This calls for swift investigations to unmask those stoking the unfortunate conflict and to ensure that they are punished. Sadly, politicians have been behind almost every ethnic conflict in this country. They must be dealt with firmly to deter them from fanning more embers.

Importantly, the root cause of the current conflict must be addressed. The government should organise for dialogue between the warring communities so that they can thrash out their differences.

The talks should lead to the demarcation of the disputed land to the satisfaction of both sides. That is the best way to ensure that the two clans never take up arms over the border again.