Mutuku Mwango the 32-year-old who was killed by camel herders was on Friday (28th October) buried at his home in Kalia Katune sub-location in Mutha ward, Kitui south.
The funeral was filled with displeasure on how the local administration has been operating. The residents blamed the Kalia Katune sub-chief and the police officers at the Mutha police station who have been welcoming the camel herders to the area.
“There are two problems in Mutha, our major problem is the Mutha police station and administration office of Kalia Katune sub-location. This is because any camel coming to Mutha first reports at the police station, and the officers note the number of the camels that have come and the period they will graze there. They then pay money according to the period that they will stay there and then they are escorted by the police officers together with Kalia Katune sub-chief to the forest,” a resident claimed.
The residents further alleged that the sub-chief has been getting money from the camel herders and giving them land to graze without showing them the boundaries of his land and this has been a cause of conflicts with the locals.
They called upon the leaders to ensure that Mutuku is compensated because they have never been compensated before for the people who were killed by the camel herders. They also demanded the transfer of the police officers from Mutha and the sub-chief.
The area MCA speaking at the burial said that he has lost a gallant member of his ward. He vowed not to relent in the mission to ensure that all the camels are driven out of his Ward. Mwamisi promised the people of Mutha that he will work with other leaders to end the banditry attacks in the area.
“We passed a bill concerning the insecurity in Kitui, especially the issue of camel herders, we are the first assembly in the country to pass a bill within one month. We will ensure that this thing of our people being killed by intruders is a thing of the past. I want to assure the people of Mutha that justice for Mutuku will prevail,” MCA Mwamisi said.
Led by Irene Kasalu the Kitui woman representative, Rachel Kaki the MP of Kitui South, Speaker Kinengo Katisya, and Mutha ward MCA Dominic Mwamisi, the leaders promised the residents that through their leadership they will ensure that a lasting solution is found and that the death of Mutuku will be the last of such kind.
“We have not forgotten that we lost a teacher who was stabbed by the camel herders. We have not forgotten that we lost an old man who was a pastor. We have not forgotten that we lost a young man delivering food to them and washing their clothes. We pray for the life of the young man who was recently shot by the camel herders and survived and was taken to Kitui referral hospital, and now is in Kenyatta National Hospital recovering. We don’t want to have another person dying in Mutha,” Kitui South MP Rachel Kaki said.
