Panic as armed youth barricade Garissa-Nairobi highway

Panic gripped hundreds of passengers in the Sosoma area of Kitui County on Sunday as armed youths wielding machetes, bows, and arrows blocked the Garissa-Nairobi highway.

The tension was attributed to recent clashes between the Akamba and Somali communities at Mandongoi, Kyuso Sub County in Kitui County, which resulted in fatalities, injuries, and theft of livestock.

Passengers travelling from Garissa to Nairobi, caught in the incident, reported that the situation could have deteriorated further had it not been for the intervention of police. The authorities arrived in time to rescue those stranded by the irate youths armed with crude weapons.

Abdikadir Osman Aden, a passenger travelling with Ryan Bus Company from Garissa, reported that the incident caused a nearly hour-long halt in public service vehicles between Garissa and Nairobi after the youth closely numbering 50 barricaded the Garissa-Nairobi highway.

“We were left in a panic, pleading with the driver to return us to Garissa after we saw the youth armed with machetes, arrows and bows shouting that a certain community will not pass here," he said in a statement censored by the Eastleigh Voice.

He said the incident terrified the majority of the passengers who locked the vehicle's doors and windows, fearing an attack.

Hussein Mohamed, a passenger on a van operating the Garissa-Nairobi road, also recounted the terrifying incident over the phone with the Eastleigh voice.

“As we were passing, trying to evade stones barricaded on the road, the armed youth threatened to smash the vehicle's windscreen, forcing the driver, a non-local, to plead with the youth.

A bus stops at a barricade set up by armed youths on the Garissa-Nairobi highway on Sunday, August 8, 2024. (Photo: Handout)

"He told us to close the windows and lock the vehicle as he pleaded with them," he claimed.

Hussein added they were relieved after two police landcruisers arrived to disperse the violent youth and allow the halted vehicles to proceed.

Abdirahman Ahmed, an official with a Sacco plying the Garissa-Nairobi route, stated that the incident had a significant impact on the transport sector, as many passengers scheduled to travel in the afternoon were forced to cancel their tickets due to fear of an attack.

He questioned why commuters travelling between Nairobi and Garissa, who have no connection to the inter-ethnic conflict along the border, were subjected to such harassment.

Abdirahman called on security agencies to guarantee the passengers their safety on the road.

For the past three years, the Somali herders and the Akamba community have been involved in sporadic clashes that have claimed several lives.

The Akamba community has been accusing the herders who migrated to Kitui County in search of water and pasture for their animals of encroaching into their farms, while the herders complained about theft and injuries inflicted upon their livestock, resulting in skirmishes.

In response to the recent tensions along the Tana River County and Kitui border, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) condemned the violence on Friday and called for an immediate cessation.

According to the Commission, the conflict in Mandongoi, Kyuso Sub County, has resulted in death, injuries, and livestock theft between the two neighbouring communities.

NCIC Chairman Samuel Kobia condemned the violence and offered condolences to the affected families. He also urged residents of Kitui and Tana River counties to refrain from actions that could worsen the situation.

Passengers stranded at a barricade set up by armed youths on the Garissa-Nairobi highway on Sunday, August 8, 2024. (Photo: Handout)