Michael Njuguna And Noah Cheploen
14 October 2008
Nairobi — Raiders armed with poisoned arrows and other weapons killed an elderly man and seriously injured three other people in a village in Njoro.
Mr James Kariuki Gitiru, 75, was hacked to death at Kamwaura Farm, 33 kilometres from Nakuru Town, on Monday night.
The attacks elicited protests from villagers, who barricaded the Njoro-Elburgon road, demanding Government action.
When Njoro district officer Esther Maina arrived at the scene to calm the agitated villagers, a young man attacked a traveller in a car.
He was rescued by Administration Police officers. The policemen then fired in the air to disperse the crowd.
The Elburgon district officer Patrick Manthi and local police boss later arrived in the company of more officers.
Ms Maina condemned the raid and the attack on the innocent traveller.
She said that residents of Kamwaura and the neighbouring Sosiot farms would be required to stay indoors from 7pm to 7am to allow the police to carry out night patrols.
She said the Government was considering establishing an AP post in the area.
Local MP Joseph Kiuna said he was saddened by the attack, which came only a few months after the post-election violence.
The MP, who visited victims admitted to Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital, gave the Government a two-day ultimatum to arrest the perpetrators.
He said the attackers had occupied land belonging to victims of the election violence and had refused to move out.
The MP asked the Government to arrest those involved in the killings.
Causing trouble
"When we are trying to preach peace, there are those who want to continue causing trouble. And if they only want anarchy, we will also be forced to defend ourselves," said Mr Kiuna.
According to him, police and the provincial administration were to blame for the fighting.
"I have reported these cases to them. First, I told them about people who occupied land belonging to farmers who were uprooted from their land during the post-election violence.
"These illegal settlers have now built their houses on the land and no action has been taken," said the MP.
He said he had complained to the police about people grazing livestock on farms where crops were growing.
"If police cannot take action against such people and those sponsoring youths to launch attacks, what are we expected to do?
"We will also organise ourselves and hit back," warned the legislator.
The villagers complained that persistent attacks had forced them to move Tarakwet Primary School to a new site which they considered safer for their children.
Ms Tabitha Wangari Michael, whose house was attacked on Monday night, said she hit one of the attackers with a metal rod and managed to shut the door.
"They said they were only targeting men, and I told my husband not to venture out," she said.
The Rev Harrison Kogo of Presbyterian Church of East Africa, Elburgon Parish, attended the meeting and prayed for the bereaved family.
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