Tension after two boys killed while looking after cattle

Tension is high in Narok South after two teenagers were shot dead while herding livestock in Maasai Mau forest.

County Commissioner Samuel Kimiti said the two boys, aged 14 and 15, had reportedly been missing for four days.

“Bodies of the two boys were found in the forest with arrows protruding from them.

“Police are investigating the matter to establish who killed the minors and what the motive was,” Kimiti said.

He said the two were illegally grazing livestock in the forest that had been declared a protected area after 35,000-odd people were evicted last year.

Parents warned

Cattle theft has been rampant in Narok South and Narok North for last few months, even as communities battle for resources deep inside the forest.

Last month, eight people were killed, 15 injured and over 20 houses torched following an eruption of ethnic clashes between the warring Maasai and Kipsigis communities occasioned by cattle theft.

Kimiti said the government would not condone grazing in Mau and Logoman forests, terming the two forests “hotbed of ethnic conflicts”.

He warned parents against sending their children to look after cattle in the forest, saying it was unfortunate that the two teenagers lost their lives while herding.