The Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations Chaired by Baringo Senator Hon. William Cheptumo has promised to intervene and ensure Police officers serving in Kitui South Constituency, are sufficiently resourced to effectively combat crime in the area.
The area has in the last one month been the theatre of conflict pitting herders and farmers over the grazing land for livestock; a conflict that has left three people dead and livestock maimed.
Pressed by the severe drought that is biting the country, the herders from Garissa County have moved into Kitui County in search of grazing land for their livestock, triggering the conflict that has attracted the attention of the Senate.
Farmers in the area accuse the herders of invading their farms and converting them into grazing fields triggering the conflict that has compromised the security situation in the area.
During a visit to the area on Wednesday October 26, the Senate committee was told by the Kitui County Security team that efforts to combat the conflict has been hampered by limited resources with the County Commissioner Erastus Mbui appealing for the Senate’s intervention to salvage the situation.
“We are up to the task but we have challenges with the resources,” Mr Mbui told the committee during a fact finding tour on Wednesday.
Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua on October 18 sought a statement on the conflict that has engulfed the area. He asked the committee to conduct a fact finding visit visit the county to ascertain the level of response by the security apparatus at both county and national Government.
He urged the Committee to investigate the underlying reasons for the attacks and provide targeted interventions to resolve the conflict.
During the visit, the Committee was told that the biting drought, considered the worst in the last 40 years, is the cause of the conflict.
County Police Commander Leah Kithei told the Committee that the monthly ration of fuel allocated to Mutomo Sub County Police headquarters is inadequate for the task of patrolling the entire area.
The sub county receives 450 litres of petrol to fuel vehicles in all its police stations.
Sen. Cheptumo promised to intervene with the Ministry of Interior to ensure that the two police Posts have vehicles while pushing the National Police Service to increase its fuel ration to police command in the area to improve its response.
“As a Committee we are taking up this matter with the Ministry of Interior to ensure that the police in this area is well resourced,” said Sen. Cheptumo even as he urged the two communities to maintain peace and coexist as they have done in the past.
“We are on top of this issue {of resources}. We shall be engaging the Inspector general of Police to ensure the officers are properly resourced to carry out their task. It makes no sense to lose lives because of things we can resolve amicably.”
Lamu Senator Joseph Kamau, who is a member of the Committee, asked area residents to be on the lookout and report any state officer who fails to do his work as required by the law.
“We need an immediate solution to this conflict because these communities have lived together in harmony. They should continue living together and the solution to it lies with us as Kenyans,” said senator Kamau.
Similar views were expressed by Nominated Senator George Mbugua who urged the people of Kitui South to remain steadfast in advocating for peace.