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One more killed in Mt Elgon skirmishes
THE STANDARD
14. April 2007
By Stephen Makabila
Raiders in Mt Elgon District killed one more person on Thursday night.Members of the Sabaoti Land Defense Force (SLDF) shot the victim Bera Chemorion, 24, dead at Chepkakai market in Kaimugur sub-location.
Chemorion, Mt Elgon OCPD, Mr David Makokha, said the deceased had engaged the raiders in an argument before he was shot dead.
The body of the deceased had been taken to the Webuye District Hospital mortuary.
Meanwhile Makokha said three raiders suspected to be behind the recent killing of a pastor in the district had been arrested.
"The three will be charged on Monday. One of them was arrested in while wearing police uniform," Makokha said.
He said 290 suspected members of the SLDF had been arrested since the security operation began a few months ago.
Mt Elgon District Commissioner, Mr Kutswa Olaka, said members of the SLDF would be given amnesty between April 16 and18 if they surrendered at four specified centres in the district.
Olaka said the National Council of Churches of Kenya, the Catholic Church, Human rights officials and the Law Society of Kenya members would be involved in receiving them.
"The only condition for the amnesty is that they bring their fire-arms," Olaka said.
Mt Elgon parliamentary aspirant, Mr Fred Kapondi, who police suspect to be behind SLDF and the circulation of leaflets, was arrested on Thursday in Bungoma town.
"The Government had involved Kapondi in the recent attempt to end the clashes but we arrested him after the leaflets were circulated in Trans-Nzoia and Bungoma districts threatening members of the Luhya community," Olaka said.
Olaka said Kapondi was being held and interrogated at the Bungoma Police Station.
Mr Lawrence Mokusu a close friend to Kapondi was brought to Bungoma from Nairobi in an unmarked Criminal Investigations Department vehicle. "They tricked us into believing that they wanted us to attend a meeting that was to be chaired by Lands minister, Prof Kivutha Kibwana, in Kapsokwany," Mokusu said.
Olaka said 72 and not 150 people, as has been claimed, have died in the
clashes.
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