4 people killed in Herders, Farmers clash in Tora Estate.

Kiambu Police Commander Mr. Adiel Nyange (right), Thika Town MP Patrick Wainaina (in navy blue shirt) and Kiambu Deputy Governor James Nyoro (in glasses) at the site where the Late Jacinta Wangari was murdered early Sunday morning. 

Four people were killed and two others left nursing serious injuries after clashes erupted over the murder of a widow by an unknown number of herders in Tora Estate, Juja Sub-County.

Trouble began at around 5am Sunday morning when a group of herdsmen cut through a farm fence belonging to Jacinta Wangari, the deceased widow, and drove their cattle to graze on her maize plantation.

When Jacinta and her two sons demanded an explanation from the herders, an argument ensued prompting one of them to cut the mother on the forehead using a sword. The two sons raised alarm to alert the neighbours who are said to have responded almost immediately.

They then rushed her to a private hospital in Thika before she was referred to Thika Level 5 Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

The news of her death elicited anger and ire among the locals who mobilised themselves and indiscriminately started any person of Maasai origin they found in the fields. This led to 5 herders being seriously injured by the mob, three of them succumbing to their injuries while being attended to at the Thika Level 5 Hospital.

A quick response by the security personnel led by Kiambu Police Commander Mr. Adiel Nyange condoned the entire Tora and Ngoingwa areas to avert further bloodshed.

“We have beefed up security in the area and we will keep vigil both during the day and at night to quell any attempts by any of the warring groups to reiterate. We promise to get to the bottom of this and ensure the culprits are brought to book,” said Nyange.

Nyange promised to protect the Maasai community during the recovery process of their lost livestock but also warned anyone caught inciting others into violence that the police would not hesitate to take very stern action against them.

The police boss demanded from the leaders of the Maasai group, the identities and whereabouts of the young morans who killed the old lady as a gesture that they were not part of the whole saga that sparked the ugly clashes.

Kiambu Deputy Governor Dr. James Nyoro appealed to the residents to understand the challenges the herders due to the extended drought in their area but requested the herders to respect the local’s property too.

Thika Town MP Eng. Patrick Wainaina called for mutual respect among the two groups saying that it was just prudent they co-existed as they had done over the years.

He called for a public ‘baraza’ amongst the residents, the herders, security agencies and both the county and national leadership so as to iron out their differences and seek a permanent solution to the whole problem.

Residents who spoke in anonymity for fear of reprisal accused the herders of deliberately grazing into people’s fields and threatening the owners of attacks whenever they were confronted.

“These people have been doing so for quite a very long time. They sleep all day long but invade on people’s lands at night. Whenever one questions them, they are threatened with attacks claiming that all vegetation belonged to animals not people,” said one resident.

He added that whenever they were confronted for compensation, these herders asked them to wait for the owners of the herd some of whom are said to be senior persons in government.

In response, Senior Chief Simon Ole Parsapayat of Keekonyokie Central Location, Kajiado West Sub-County apologised to the residents, terming the incident an isolated one considering the fact that they had co-existed for the last four years.

“This is a very unfortunate incident as even in the Maasai Community, no man is allowed to kill or harm a woman. Let’s not place a blanket blame in a whole community but see it as an individual act of crime. Let the individuals who did that face the consequences as individuals,” said Parsapayat.