Three injured, one missing as tension erupts at Kisumu-Kericho border

Crime scene illustration. [File, Standard]

At least three people are nursing arrow wounds while another person is reported missing following fresh clashes in Koguta area, Muhoroni Sub-County, along the border of Kisumu and Kericho counties.

According to Muhoroni Sub-County Police Commander Frederick Ombaka, the tension began around midday today after a confrontation between two ethnic communities living in the area. 

Police have linked the incident to an alleged case of livestock theft.

Police reports indicate that several goats belonging to residents of Koguta in Muhoroni Sub-County were stolen and driven to the Kipsitet area in Kericho County, sparking the dispute.

“There’s a situation in Kipsitet within the nucleus of Muhoroni Sugar Factory that we are trying to address. Preliminary findings indicate that some goats were stolen from the Koguta area, and when residents attempted to retrieve the animals, they encountered hostility from people in Kipsitet,” Ombaka said.

He added that the confrontation escalated into a standoff between the two communities living along the border.

During the clash, three people were injured after being shot with arrows by rival groups. The victims are currently receiving treatment at Muhoroni Sub-County Hospital. Police also confirmed that one person is missing following the violence.

“There are injuries reported — about three people are nursing arrow wounds. There are also claims from community members that one of their colleagues was taken away, and we are trying to establish why he was picked and where he may have been taken,” Ombaka said.

He noted that security officers from both Kisumu and Kericho counties had been deployed to the area to restore calm.

“We are here with the county police commander from Kericho, and we are working together to address the situation and establish what exactly happened,” he added.

However, even as police link the violence to livestock theft, a section of residents who spoke to The Standard dismissed that explanation, claiming the clashes were triggered by a long-standing land ownership dispute.

High Court advocate Steve Odumbe, a native of the area, said the violence stemmed from a dispute between members of the Koguta clan in Muhoroni Sub-County and the management of Muhoroni Sugar Company.

“The issue is related to a land dispute. The land had been returned to the community by the courts and is awaiting subdivision and settlement,” Odumbe said in a phone interview.

He alleged that the sugar factory management had hired police officers to patrol the nucleus estate and confiscated livestock that were grazing on the disputed land.

“Members of the Koguta community tried to recover their livestock, and in the process, the goons who were in the company of the police shot them with arrows. Three people were injured and rushed to Muhoroni Sub-County Hospital,” Odumbe claimed.

“What has shocked the community is that these things happened in the presence of police officers who were protecting them,” he added.

Following the clashes, a truck belonging to a sugar factory in the area was reportedly set ablaze by angry residents.

Police officers from both Kisumu and Kericho counties have since been deployed to the area to restore order.