Nairobi — Ten people have been arrested in connection with clashes at the Kericho-Kisumu border in Sondu that have left seven people dead and disrupted normally in the region.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has stated that special forces including the Anti-Riot Specialised forces have been deployed in the area to contain the situation.
The Interior Boss asserted they will ruthlessly punish the criminals who have been causing havoc in the Kericho-Kisumu border.
"Its unfortunate that we have lost lives senselessly and we have instructed our police officers to ensure that there's no recurrence of violence whatsoever in that area even as we pursue peacebuilding," Kindiki said.
Kindiki expressed that the regional police forces failed in their mandate to deal with the clashes affirming that subsequently such scenarios in the area will be handled differently and with strict adherence to the law.
This coming days after he transferred security chiefs from both sides of the border as the government moved to reclaim calm and return the situation in the area to normal.
"Some of our law police officers should have acted differently to avert the loss of live we have witnessed. As a result, it has been decided that first we must firmly enforce the law, isolate criminals from either counties and deal with them firmly and without mercy," Kindiki noted.
The Interior Boss disclosed that his docket will be working with the Ministry of Lands to handle the boundary dispute amicably between the two clashing communities.
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"The counties have different opinions on where the boundaries are and the mandate on boundary review lies with the survey department. We are engaging with the Ministry of Lands and other responsible agencies," the Interior Cabinet Secretary said.
Criminals armed with bows and arrows raided the East Kadiang'a location in Upper Nyakach division on Wednesday morning and unleashed terror on the residents before fleeing the scene.
A house was torched in the latest attack which comes barely two weeks after another attack was reported in the area that left one person dead and several injured.
In his 4-day visit to Nyanza, President William Ruto ordered the arrest of all those behind the clashes at the Kericho-Kisumu border in Sondu that have left seven people dead.
Ruto said Kenya has no time for people stocking tribal hate and ordered Interior Security Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki to crack down on the perpetrators.
"There are people taking us backwards and we will deal with them the same way we have dealt with the bandits in the North Rift and Al Shabaab," he said.
