State deploys 400 police officers to volatile Kisumu-Nandi border

The government has deployed 400 police officers to Songhor West Location to quell tension and restore peace in the volatile border of the Kisumu and Nandi counties.

The deployment follows fresh clashes that have claimed the lives of three people in the area in recent days.

Police say 500 families have been displaced, several people injured and homes torched along the Nyando sugar belt area, following the skirmishes that were triggered by cattle theft this week.

“The 400 police officers deployed in the area will conduct patrols to thwart any attempts at theft or violence,” said Government Spokesman Eric Kiriathe during a weekly government press briefing. “Efforts are underway to capture the criminals, return the stolen animals to their rightful owners and restore peace,” he added.

Mr Kiraithe warned youths against engaging in acts of lawlessness. He appealed to members of the warring communities not to take the law into their hands.

“We are asking the public to allow the police and other relevant authorities to handle any security-related matters. Taking matters into their own hands will be implicating themselves as law-breakers,” warned the Government Spokesperson. Mr Kiraithe appealed to local leaders to find a long term solution to the perennial conflict.

“Local leaders need to be sensitive to any cause of conflict within their divisions.

As leaders they have a key role in the social stability and economic development of the people who elected them, regardless of their ethnicity,” he said.