Security agencies accused of bias in Isiolo-Samburu herders conflict

A section of Isiolo leaders has accused a multi-agency security team of taking sides in conflict between rival herders from Isiolo and Samburu that had turned violent.

The leaders, who comprised MCAs, elders, woman groups and professionals yesterday disputed the version given by police that five people killed by the security team last Friday were associated with rustling incident that targeted herders from Samburu.

They also heaped blame on the security team that comprises police drawn from different units and the army for failing to thwart an attack by bandits allegedly on retaliatory mission that left two more people killed a day after the Friday operation.

The bandits gunned down a son of the contractor working on the Gotu-Merti road and an engineer. The leaders claimed the attackers were never pursued by the security personnel despite getting information on the direction the bandits fled.

Halima Abgudo, the MCA for Cherab, Mohammed Konso Hallo, the chairman of Borana Council of Elders and former MCA Hassan Kumpa who led the group drawn from the affected Merti sub county and their counterpart from Isiolo Central noted that the killing of the five people took place after the alledged rustling incident involving unknown number of cattle, goats and sheep.

"The multi agency security team used military hardware like armoured vehicles and helicopter to kill innocent people," said Abgudo.

She noted that while they do not support any form of violence and illegally like rustling, the local leaders would not keep quiet while brutality and basic human rights are violated by those meant to protect life and property of all Kenyans.

"The people from Isiolo have never crossed into any neighbouring county in search of pasture or cattle rustling.  The alledged rustling incident and subsequent killings took place deep inside Isiolo and not Samburu," said the county assembly legislator.

" I came from the area and some of the bodies collected from the bushes have missing parts and another one not recognisable," she added.

The leaders claimed one person who had surrendered was crashed to death by the armoured vehicle.

"The family of the deceased buried a badly mutilated body when the security personnel knocked him down and crashed him with the armoured vehicle," said the MCA.

Abgudo said some of the local herders took a unilateral decision to retake their previously stolen cattle after spotting them among the livestock with the rivals from Samburu.

"We agree as leaders , that decision (rustling ) was wrong and we condemn it. The security team managed to recover the animals taken. However, they (security personnel) added animals belonging to the local herders and thereafter pursued people who fled from the area and killed them in cold blood " she claimed.

Mr Hallo, a former senior international NGO official and ex-CEO of Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) called for an independent probe by local and international human rights organisations into the killings at Sabarwawa, in Bulesa location of Merti sub county.

"A heinous crime took place in modern Kenya when the whole country was mourning the death of the Opposition leader Raila Odinga. The days when people keep quiet due to fear of authority is gone and the people of Isiolo need justice," emphasised the chief elder.

The leaders noted that their neighbours forceful migrated into Kom, Sabarwawa, Qoro Bisan Owwo and parts of Biliko and Bulesa without consulting the locals and the National government administrators like chiefs.

"Armed herdsmen from Samburu have invaded our pasture zones, which we reserve it for use when drought reaches alarm stage. They have kicked out our people, some, who due to fear of outbreak of clashes were forced to migrate elsewhere in search of pasture," said Hallo.

The group also questioned the role of game rangers attached to wildlife conservacies under the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT), whom they alleged were ferried to the conflict areas to provide security for one side.

"We appeal to all local and international human rights organisations to come and help us get justice for not only the recent killings but all others that had gone unnoticed," said the official.

Kumpa said they have recorded killing of 56 people and thefts of hundreds of livestock in Merti sub county between 2013 and 2025.

They called for urgent intervention of President Ruto in the on-going conflict between the rival herders from the two Counties.
 
Isiolo County Police Commander Paul Wambugu last evening told The Standard on telephone that bodies of five people were collected by police on three different days between last Thursday and and Saturday in the areas where the herders stay after getting information from the locals.

Mr Wambugu said initial report related the deaths to the conflict between the two rival herders adding that to ascertain the truth, the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) detectives from the County headquarters in Isiolo had been sent to join their Merti counterpart to carry out a thorough probe into the incident.

" We are sorry that this incident (of killings) occurred and that the core duty of our security personnel is to protect life and property of all the people, without any favour to one side. The claims by the leaders is already part of the mandate of the investigators," said the police chief.

The commander called for calm while emphasasing against utterances or actions that would, otherwise escalate the already deteriorating security situation.

In the meantime, Wambugu said security team there who got more reinforcement from other police stations will patrol the hotspots of in the affected areas.

However, the local leaders called for external probe by the State agencies adding the local security team cannot probe itself.

The leadership of the Samburu County and officials of the wildlife conservacies, said the Isiolo side must also be probed for taking part in the killings.

"The conservancies kidnapped a young school leaver who had a bullet wound and instead of taking him to police, they displayed him in social media posts like a hostage or prisoner of war, that was a criminal act," added Hallo.