State extends curfew hours in clash-hit Trans Mara area

Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya (pictured) has extended the duration of dawn-to-dusk curfew in Trans Mara West Sub County to contain escalating inter-clan conflict in the area.

Natembeya, who said the curfew will start at 4pm and end at 7am, was at the volatile Nkararo-Enoretet border, where he put area chiefs on notice threatening them with the sack should they fail to identify those causing conflict in their respective areas.

Arrest threat

Natembeya also warned political leaders to stop fanning the conflict, which has rocked members of the Uasin Gishu and Siria clans of the Maasai Community. He warned the leaders they risk arrest.

"It is very disturbing that while the country is busy fighting corona virus, some people here are engaging in useless conflict. We cannot allow the killing of people and destruction of property to go on like this," he said.

Natembeya regretted the killing of two people and burning of 50 houses belonging to two factions of the warring clans in the last one week.  

"I am issuing an ultimatum to those who have illegal firearms to surrender them to the police immediately before a forceful disarmament is done," said Natembeya. 

On Thursday, two groups engaged in running battles for several hours before the police moved in to quell the conflict, which had left several people injured.

Trans Mara West Police Commander Abdullahi Dahir had earlier in the week said that two people had been arrested in connection with the burning of the houses and were assisting the police with investigations to identify other arsonists.