The incessant killings in Marsabit have caught the attention of the National Security Council, with the apex security organ now said to be gearing up to sanction a major operation in the troubled region.
With more than 500 people said to have been killed in the last year, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has said specialist security units are waiting for the council’s final approval to deploy to the region.
According to Dr Matiang’i, the operation will be one of the biggest in recent times and will employ “maximum force”.
After what appeared to many as the listlessness and apathy of the state in addressing the bloodshed, CS Matiang’i was compelled to address the thorny and uncomfortable situation head-on.
“All I can say, for sure, without contradiction, it isn’t going to be fun. We will apply the maximum force of fire and we will act decisively in the best interest of innocent people in that county who are suffering at the hands of irresponsible, selfish, reckless politicians who are just galvanising people along ethnic lines,’’ he said.
While breathing fire and brimstone during an ACK meeting in Nairobi on Tuesday, Dr Matiang’i said that the state had been pushed to the limit and would no longer use any peace treaties for solving Marsabit’s challenges.
Managing the overlapping security challenges in Marsabit had been a huge headache for the government, prompting officials to consider the use of maximum force to contain the conflict.
“Bishop, I want to assure you, because that deadline has elapsed and we can see those things going on. We’re organising ourselves and we will move to the council, but one thing I want to let you know and let other religious leaders know both in Marsabit and other parts of the country, please, when we act, nobody should blame the government,” he said.
The killings, murderous rampages and counterattacks between the antagonistic Borana and Gabbra communities finally created a stir even among the topmost national security organs.
Nearly all avenues of reaching a truce between the warring communities had been exhausted to no avail, leaving the government with no option but to apply force.
Making his heartfelt appeal to the national security council team, ACK Marsabit Bishop Daniel Qampicha warned the state about impending murders ahead of the 2022 General Election.
The cleric told the government to prepare for the worst and even be on standby with tractors for mass burials in the county if they fail to contain the security crisis.
“We’re dying on a daily basis. We’ve cried to the highest office in this country. As a bishop who is non-partisan and non-tribal, I’m not safe in Marsabit. And if we see any calls, we think someone has been shot dead. The situation in Marsabit is worse than before Kenya got independence,” said Bishop Qampicha.
He said he could not imagine that the security organs were not aware of the ongoing events or that the government lacked the power to turn the situation around.
He wondered why the government was lackadaisical in dealing with the politicians who had been named in funding and whipping up the emotions of their followers and tribesmen.
“I want to reiterate what I normally say whenever I attend any public function in Marsabit, that Mr CS and Mutyambai, if you delay a little bit, come and bury us with tractors,” he said.
The actions of the political class and jostling for power have deepened the chasm between the communities.
Even though devolved governments have brought socio-economic amenities closer to the people, they have also deepened ethnic divisions in the regions and galvanised communities to want to install one of their own in the elective county-level seats.
When Treasury CS Ukur Yatani was governor (2012-2017), the Borana community cried foul, claiming they were underrepresented.
Now, with Governor Mohamud Ali at the helm, the Gabbra are also claiming they are sidelined.
Elle Bor, Eldimtu, Turbi, Duakana, Forole, Sololo, Dukana, and Moyale have been notorious for violence.
Tribal animosity has always driven the masterminds of the violence, with innocent people killed indiscriminately.
Areas such as Honderi, Sagante Jaldesa, Badasa, and Qubiqallo have been notorious for clashes over land boundaries.
Between 2019 and 2022, at least 500 people have been killed because of their ethnic identity.
The most memorable heart-rending recent attacks include the Honderi attack on March 15, 2019, where three people died, the Forole attack on May 7, 2019, where 11 people were killed by suspected Ethiopian insurgents.
These attacks fanned even more thirst for bloodshed, leading to the May 20, 2019 Shaba Hills, Sagante ward, attack in which two herders were murdered in the dead of night.
In less than 24 hours, a retaliatory attack was reported in Konso Banchale village in the same ward, leading to the deaths of two women and a child.
Shortly after, news broke that three people had been killed in Konso Banchale village, with the most vulnerable people such as women and children the victims.
On November 5, 2019, at least 12 herders and two police officers were murdered in cold blood in Jaldesa and Kokuto in Marsabit Central.
At least 12 people were killed on December 18, 2021 in twin bandit attacks in Qubiqallo and Dogogich, Saku sub-county.
The bandits made away with 1,000 cattle and 300 sheep and goats in the Qubiqallo attack.
In the Dogogich attack, bandits drove away more than 800 cattle and 1,5000 sheep and goats.
These perennial ethnic clashes have been common occurrences for ages, with attacks and counterattacks between various communities often causing deaths, injuries and dislocations in addition to theft of livestock.
One of the most horrid and chilling killings was what has come to be known as the Turbi Massacre of July 12, 2005.
At least 90 people were killed, property was destroyed and over 7,500 people displaced, the cause of bitter acrimony and mistrust between the two communities.
At least 68 children were orphaned due to the ethnic clashes. Of the people who were killed, 22 were pupils at Turbi Primary School.
Marsabit’s ethnic killings are off the media map most of the time, unless they happen on a big scale.
Many of the recent attacks, which have even touched the heart of Marsabit town, are believed to be directly linked to previous atrocities.
Most of the deaths failed to garner the national attention that other shootings with multiple victims have. Rather than being stories about senseless gun violence upending lives, they only became local crime stories.
The shielding of criminals by community members has also been the worst headache for the security agencies and detectives, making it harder to apprehend and prosecute offenders.
The pursuit of justice is also hampered by the use of propaganda and threats against provincial administrators and security agencies to compel them to succumb to the desires of local politicians and community leaders.
