Security Tightened asKitui and Garissa Leaders Step In to Calm Tensions
By Rose Mwangangi in Mwingi
Security was heightened across Mwingi on today as authorities struggled to contain simmering tensions following deadly attacks blamed on suspected camel herders from Garissa County.
The unrest, which flared Wednesday evening, saw angry residents pour into the streets demanding justice for eight victims killed in the attacks. The protests quickly disrupted movement along key routes, particularly between Garissa and Nairobi, amid fears of retaliatory violence.
By Thursday morning, police had moved in force to stabilize the situation, maintaining a visible presence in Mwingi town and along major roads. The show of force appeared to hold back further escalation, even as members of the Somali community—whose businesses had been looted and vandalized in the chaos—sought refuge at the local police station.
A political intervention followed swiftly. Kitui Governor Julius Makau Malombe and his Garissa equal Nathif Jama Adam met at Nguni Market in Mwingi Central, joining security officials and local leaders in a tense effort to defuse the crisis and stem what was fast becoming an ethnic flashpoint between Kamba residents and Somali herders.
By evening, the meeting yielded a fragile framework for calm. The leaders announced that all camels brought into Kitui County must be identified and registered, alongside their handlers, in a move aimed at restoring order and accountability in grazing practices that have long fueled friction.
Even so, the situation remains volatile. Police continue to patrol the area, wary of renewed violence, as investigations into the killings proceed and communities wait—uneasily—for justice.
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