Chaos in North Rift unmasks historical disputes over land and cattle rustling
A new wave of violence has hit the North Rift region casting doubt on the position that the ongoing mayhem was purely a result of the disputed presidential election results. Initially thought to have targeted just one community from Central province, the violence is now targeting two other groups this time from western Kenya, raising the possibility of other causes. Already, one church says there are indications that there could be other reasons fuelling the violence.
On Tuesday, Kitale Catholic Justice and Peace Commission official Leonard Barasa attributed the violence in Trans Nzoia to unresolved land issues.
Mr Barasa spoke immediately after Salama trading centre was set ablaze by arsonists.
His remarks came less than two weeks after Bishop Cornelius Korir of Eldoret Catholic diocese indicated that attacks in Uasin Gichu that followed the disputed election appeared anchored more on unresolved issues.
On Tuesday, more than 1,400 people from Western Province were displaced and over 200 animals stolen in Nandi North.
Displaced families The district neighbours Uasin Gishu, where more than 150,000 people have been uprooted from their farms and about 100 killed in election violence.
Local residents have since renamed the farms that were predominantly occupied by people from other communities, a clear indication that they be taken up.
Currently, thousands of the displaced families camp in churches, police stations, schools and some Agricultural Society of Kenya showgrounds.
A Nation investigation points out to competition for land, tribalism and poverty as the key reasons why the violence was inevitable.
The clashes that seem to recur in the run-up to General Elections, are confined to the expansive region, especially the North Rift which is the agriculture basket of the country.
“There are several underlying factors on top of them land that the Government has never addressed to resolve skirmishes in Rift Valley during every election,” said Bishop Korir.
“It is important that the matter is resolved to avoid further killings,” appealed the man of the cloth when US assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer visited displaced people at Sacred Heart Cathedral recently.
It is becoming clear that communities in the region were evidently suspicious of each other before the General Election.
“Most of our people were left out during the allocation of land soon after independence. Outsiders were brought in and rewarded with large tracts ofland. This was unfair,” said Mr Rirei Kipkorir, a church elder in Uasin Gishu yesterday.
Local communities accuse the “outsiders” of benefiting from the land allocation during the Kenyatta administration.
“There is no doubt that one community benefited a lot from white highlands formerly owned by colonial settlers during the Kenyatta regime. This isevident by names given to huge tracts of land they own,” added Mr Kipkorir.
Most of the controversial farms in Uasin Gishu District, which witnessed violence in recent attacks, bear names of other communities, an issue that has not gone down well with local groups.
Such farms include Rurigi, Rogoini, Nyakinyua, Kiambaa, Kimuri, Yamumbi, and Munyaka. In Trans-Nzoia, farms such as Gitwamba and North Kisii, Goseta, Obomo, were the targets of the violence which saw the eviction of 10,000 people.
The names of some of the farms have since been changed and the residents have vowed never to allow those kicked out back. Although some of the outsiders targeted during the clashes purchased the land, it appears the residents do not want them to return even after the political crisis is resolved.
It is on this account that locals are holding talks on how to share the farms.
In some parts, price tags have been fixed on the abandoned pieces of land and local communities told they would be given priority in purchasing them.
“Although it is our ancestral land, we shall not take it for free. We are ready to purchase it at a reasonable price,” said a resident of Uasin Gishu, Mr Joseph Kigen.
Local communities strongly believe that President Moi failed to return the farms to their community when he was in power, a claim that partly explains why they ignored his advice to vote for President Kibaki during the elections campaign. “We cannot allow settler communities to continue occupying our land and vote for candidates not favoured by our people. They had to leave,” adds Eldoret South resident James Mosbei.
A number of residents interviewed said land was among the key causes of the clashes and that the polls were just a catalyst.
“Most of them found Eldoret and other towns in the North Rift as a potential places to invest. They bought fixed assets including land but failed to respect local communities,” notes Mr Mosbei.
At the same time, host communities were uncomfortable with the increasing population of the “outsiders” after some of them started venturing into political leadership.
“How can they come and rule us in our land? It is disrespectful for them to take advantage of their large numbers to oppress us,” added Mzee Jonathan Kosgei of Uasin Gishu.
Land issue a priority And, as the Government seeks a solution to the political crisis, it is paramount that land is given priority if tribal animosity is to be resolved among communities in the area, residents say.
Cattle theft targeting the “outsiders” animals, especially in Nandi North and South districts should also be addressed.
According to Nandi North district commissioner Mabeya Mogaka, the recent clashes at the border between Aldai and Hamisi that claimed six lives were mainly ignited by stock theft that later led to the burning of the houses. “The communities have co-existed peacefully for long. They supported common candidates during the elections. It is said they can start fighting,” Mr Mogaka says. He has asked local residents to return looted property and stolen animals to the owners to facilitate resumption of peace.
Aldai MP Sally Kosgei, who was among the first leaders to quell the tension among area residents, said most of them had intermarried and blamed the clashes on some politicians.
Displaced families “All of you voted for me. Why should you turn against each other at this time?” Dr Kosgei posed. The district has experienced fighting in virtually every General Election in what has been viewed as meant to uproot “aliens”.
Age sets have also been a major factor in the ongoing clashes in Rift Valley.
Among those who took part in this year’s clashes in the region are young men of the Kimnyigei age set.
The age group is said to be controversial and sometimes goes to the extent of defying their parents when they have decided to pursue a certain cause.
The group, which is considered to be fierce, is said to have played a significant role in the recent clashes. There have been reports that the warriors receive the blessings of the elders before attacking their perceived enemies.
Daily Nation
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