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Act on Mt Elgon killings, MPs tell Kibaki
By Standard Team
Wednesday April 4, 2007
Mrs Evelyne Kirong (left) mourns her son with other relatives after he was killed in renewed clashes in Mt Elgon
District, on Tuesday. Picture by Peter Ochieng |
Thirteen Rift Valley MPs have told President Kibaki to step in and quell the violence in Mt Elgon, which has degenerated into a humanitarian crisis.
As they spoke, panic-stricken families with the few belongings they could salvage were fleeing the trouble-hit area, where six people were shot dead in cold blood and dozens others injured in the Sunday night bloodletting.
Government offices remained closed and five schools shut as tension reigned at Kapsokwony town, the headquarters of Mt Elgon District, where the attacks happened just metres from the DC’s house on Sunday. |
The MPs, led by Eldoret North MP Mr William Ruto, Nominated MP Mr Franklin Bett and Tinderet MP Mr Henry Kosgey, were furious that 150 people had been killed so far yet the Government seemed unbothered.
Addressing a news conference at Parliament Buildings, Nairobi, they called on President Kibaki to take charge of the situation because Internal Security minister, Mr John Michuki, "was not doing anything".
"Michuki is busy recruiting provincial administrators to campaign for Narc-Kenya, and the death of 150 people and destruction of property does not seem anything to him," added the MPs.
Peace and reconciliation committee
And in Parliament, the House was expected to set aside two-and-a-half hours this morning to debate the issue following a Motion by the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Security, Mr Ramadhan Kajembe.
The Changamwe MP said the insecurity had affected learning after over 97 schools were closed, farms deserted and the daily lives of the residents disrupted.
Separately, the Government promised to degazette part of Mt Elgon Forest to settle the over 3,000 landless families.
It also announced that a peace and reconciliation committee, to be chaired by religious leaders, had been formed.
Lands minister Prof Kivutha Kibwana chaired a six-hour closed-door meeting at the Western Provincial Commissioner’s office in Kakamega and emerged to apologise to Mt Elgon residents for not having visited the area earlier though the conflict was over land.
"I apologise for not having visited the area whereas the land matter has been contentious for a long time. The Government is committed to ensure that peace is restored in the area," the minister said.
The provincial security team, area MP Mr John Serut and religious leaders attended the meeting.
Said Kibwana: "It is sad that only 1,723 families benefited from the land in the Chebyuk Settlement Scheme out of the more than 7,000 applicants."
He said the Government would repossess land from individuals who benefited illegally. Area PC, Mr Abdul Mwasserah, said the peace committees had been formed to champion reconciliation among the fighting Soi and Ndorobo clans.
State urged to pursue peace through dialogue
Earlier, Kosgey said the problem was about land allocation that had gone awry after being mishandled by the Government.
The ODM-Kenya chairman said it was disturbing that 40 years after Independence, the district could be closed from the outside world for the Government to massacre people.
"The Government security forces have been killing people, that is why they have closed the district for people not to know what they are doing," added Kosgey.
The MPs declared they would be visiting the area next Monday and invited the Parliamentary Committee on Security to accompany them to find a lasting solution to the problem.
And reacting to the wave of violence, Baringo Central MP Mr Gideon Moi said the resettlement programme should be stopped forthwith. He called on the Government to pursue peace through dialogue and stop the display of heavy weaponry and provocative military antics.
"The Government should talk with the warring parties, it should stop sending heavily armed security personnel on what looks like a retributive and revenge mission. The wrath and anger shown by the security forces is unwarranted,’’ said Moi.
He said the cancellation of the resettlement programme would allow the community to pursue peace, adding there was too much tension in the area for it to go on.
On his part, Ruto said the basic minimum the President could do was to take the lead and visit the area to assess the situation on the ground because it was serious.
Ruto said it was equally disturbing that the Government had found it useful to ‘flirt’ with the area MP, Serut, and ignore the thousands of people whose lives had been turned into a nightmare.
Lack of lacking political goodwill
Bett said as Rift Valley MPs, they were concerned and disturbed by the wanton loss of lives and property, but were disappointed by the lack of goodwill by the Government to stop the killings.
Bett, who led a team to investigate the insecurity in the area on behalf of the regional MPs, said about 200 people had been injured and had no medical attention. He said more than 50,000 people had been displaced while many houses, maize granaries and posho mills and churches had been burnt.
Also present were Mr Musa Sirma, Mr Moses Cheboi, Mr Joseph Lagat, Dr Sammy Ruto, Mr Joseph Korir, Mr Sammy Koech, Mrs Linah Kilimo, Mr William Boit, Mr Charles Keter and Mr Noah arap Too.
In Mt Elgon, the face of the crisis was illustrated by the closure of leading secondary school Kapkateny High following the circulation of leaflets threatening teachers and students. Its principal, Mr Dismas Bindi, said the leaflets contained death threats.
At Kapsokwony, women and children arrived in columns carrying belongings on their backs and many vowed not to return. Many said they would seek refuge at the district headquarters.
Separately, two former Mt Elgon MPs blamed the Government for lacking political goodwill to end inter-clan clashes.
Mr Wilberforce Kisiero and Mr Joseph Kimkung said a political solution was needed to the problem.
Displaced families have started fleeing
Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) clerics Maritim Rirei and Leonard Ndiema expressed fears that the clashes might spill over to neighbouring Bungoma and Webuye districts.
They said displaced families that were camping in Kapsokwony had started fleeing to Kimilili, Kamukuywa and Chwele.
Elsewhere, the Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organisation (MYWO) set up a fund to assist women and children in the clash torn region.
Speaking to the Press at MYWO’s headquarters, chairperson Ms Rukia Subow said the fund was a joint effort of the organisation and 15 other women organisations.
Representatives of the women groups, which include Federation of Women Lawyers (Fida), Women Political Caucus and Association of Media Women in Kenya (Amwik) were present at the press briefing.
The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) called on the Government to immediately repossess the entire Chebyuk Settlement Scheme and gazette it as public land.
"The six-months clan feud in this area must come to a stop. Workers in this area are no longer able to go to their places of work and pupils are unable to attend school," Cotu Secretary-General Mr Francis Atwoli
said.
Reports by Martin Mutua, Vincent Bartoo, Susan Anyangu, Lucianne Limo and Elizabeth Mwai and Francis Openda and Joel Okwayo
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