Three people were killed after renewed clashes erupted, pitting communities living along the Kisumu-Kericho border.
Scores of others were nursing injuries after raiders armed with crude weapons attacked villagers in an East Kadiang’a location in Nyakach Sub-County, unleashing terror on residents in the wee hours of the night.
The Kisumu County Security Team, led by County Commissioner (CC) Hussein Alassow Hussein, is holed up in a meeting at the border town to quell tension between the two communities residing in the area.
Hussein said adequate police officers have been deployed to help restore calm.
The officers, he said, were working jointly with their counterparts from Kericho to restore order.
Kisumu County Governor Prof. Anyang Nyong’o condemned the attacks, saying it was unfortunate to lose lives in such a manner.
“It is unfortunate that on the eve of the president’s visit to our region, some upstarts last night instigated ethnic clashes in Sondu along the Kisumu-Kericho border,” he said.
He asked security agencies to swiftly apprehend those behind the attacks and ensure justice is done to the affected families.
Witnesses told Kenya News Agency that tension started building up after a suspected thief was previously killed by a mob in the area, sparking a series of retaliatory attacks between the border communities.
Businesses at the border town of Sondu remained paralysed for the better part of the day as angry youth barricaded the busy Ahero-Sondu road to protest the killings, bringing business to a standstill.
At Nyabondo Mission Hospital, several people have been admitted with arrow wounds.
A medical officer who requested not to be named said some of the victims in critical condition have been referred to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) for specialised treatment.
The other cases, he said, were being managed at the facility and were in stable condition.
By Chris Mahandara
