Isiolo leaders give Samburu herders 48-hour ultimatum to vacate Chari grazing fields amid surge in killings

Isiolo leaders have given Samburu herders 48 hours to vacate grazing fields in Chari ward, saying the armed groups entered Merti Sub-County without consultation and are heightening tensions in an already insecure area.

Governor Abdi Guyo and Woman Representative Mumina Bonaya urged the government to respond urgently to prevent further violence.

“We have agreed that everyone must return to their side of the border. Our neighbours from Samburu East should go back to their boundary. If they need a grazing area, let them sit with Chari elders and agree. But acts of force and acts of violence, we have said, we cannot allow. We cannot accept our people being killed recklessly,” Abdi said.

Bonaya added, “The challenges are many, and insecurity is the main issue. They have realised it is very difficult to keep their animals in this area if there is not enough security to protect their livestock against attacks, like what happened recently."

Their remarks followed the killing of three National Police Reserve (NPR) officers on Saturday night in Madhi Qarsa Village, Chari ward, after they were ambushed by armed bandits.

Merti Sub-County Deputy County Commissioner Michael Kioni said the officers had been on duty guarding livestock when the attackers, believed to have crossed from Samburu County, confronted them.

“They had been advised to retreat, but the bandits followed them and ambushed them when they stopped somewhere to make some tea,” he said, adding that the government is working to stabilise the area.

The incident came barely a day after three people were killed and others injured in neighbouring Meru County. On Sunday evening, two more people were shot dead and another was injured in an attempted cattle-rustling attack in the Kom area of Merti Sub-County.

Reports indicated that more than 100 armed bandits crossed into Isiolo from Samburu East and Laisamis, nearly succeeding in driving away hundreds of cattle and goats. The attack occurred at Madho Qarsa, near Biliko Marara trading centre. Local NPR officers repulsed the raiders.

The two victims were buried on Monday at Biliko trading centre in a ceremony attended by Chari MCA Abdullahi Golicha. The injured survivor was taken to Merti Sub-County Hospital.

Isiolo County Police Commander Paul Wambugu said additional officers had been deployed to assess the situation and enhance patrols.

The latest violence adds to a series of deadly incidents in the area. In mid-October, seven people were killed in separate cases in the same locality. On October 17, two road construction workers were shot dead by bandits near Gotu while upgrading the Gotu–Merti road. Two days later, five people were reportedly killed by a security team after clashes between Isiolo herders and rival migrant herders from Samburu East, during which hundreds of cattle were stolen.

On Monday, local leaders accused the Interior Ministry of failing to address insecurity in lower Merti. They said herders had abandoned grazing zones in Kom, Biliko, Sabarwawa and Quri Bisanowo due to fear of attacks.

MCA Abdullahi condemned the killings, saying the victims were young men trying to move their livestock to safety when they encountered the armed raiders.

Borana Council of Elders chairman Mohammed Konso Hallo and Cherab MCA Halima Abgudo criticised the security team deployed in the area, saying it had failed to prevent external attacks.

Other Topics To Read

• Northern Kenya
• samburu banditry
• samburu attacks
• isiolo bandit attacks
• herders Isiolo
• Chari grazing fields
• Isiolo leaders give Samburu herders 48-hour ultimatum to vacate Chari grazing fields amid surge in killings
• Headlines

“In mid-October, the security team killed five people in the area while locals were trying to protect their animals from being stolen, yet this time they did not detect the bandits who entered deep inside Isiolo to kill and steal our livestock,” Mohammed said.

The leaders said they had repeatedly appealed to the Interior Ministry, dating back to the period when Deputy President Kithure Kindiki served as Interior Cabinet Secretary, but no action had been taken.

Nearly 20 people have been killed in the area since mid-year, alongside others in Gotu, Chaffa Gafarsa and Baranbate on the eastern bank of the Ewaso Nyiro River, in rustling-related incidents. They also questioned why police had failed to protect traders whose animals were being targeted on their way to market.

Two weeks ago, 170 cattle intended for sale at the region’s largest livestock market were stolen in a raid just metres from a police barrier along the Isiolo–Moyale highway, less than three kilometres from Isiolo town. Two people were also shot and wounded. In September, hundreds of cattle meant for the next day’s market were stolen from inside the livestock yard, leaving one person dead, although most animals were later recovered.