WAJIR—Three people were injured Monday after clan fighting erupted at the West of Wajir County. Warring youths from the two clans—Gelible and the Matan—face-off in gunfight following reports that the area Member of Parliament, Abdikadir Ahmed Ore has sanctioned the sinking of a well at the Garsey Qoftu location. The drilling machine has since been moved out of the location.
According to locals who witnessed the attack, “a group of men armed with guns descended on the village today (Monday) afternoon where scores were injured.”
The injured were transported to Wajir Referral Hospital. Following the report of the clashes, an impromptu meeting was Monday afternoon held in Wajir town between the elders of the Gelible and the Rer Mohamud who reside the area. The meeting was attended by the County governor, Ahmed Abdullahi and Wajir West MP, Abdikadir Ahmed Ore.
Speaking to Kulan Post on the phone, the area member of parliament has called on the residents to keep calm, saying the thorny issue that led to the escalation of the tension would be ironed out by the clan elders.
“I sent a group of elders to Garsey Qoftu. We want them to calm the situation,” he said.
He warned the youth against fanning the violence, adding that he feared the escalation would take the route of Eldas-Wajir North violence where two clans are fighting over constituency boundary.
The tension in Garsey Qoftu location has been dragging since 2013 when the area residents blocked oil exploration in the location over alleged exclusion in jobs, tenders and hire of vehicles.
The locals chased away Africa Oil Kenya officials, accusing the oil exploration firm of colluding with the County Government of Wajir to sideline them. Through their spokesman Abdiakdir Mohamed, the residents invited the national government to oversee the exploration, saying they were not confident with the county government.
“The (Gelible) community is being locked out by the county government for not voting for governor Ahmed Abdullahi during the March 4 polls,” Abdikadir told the Standard on December,2013.
But the latest escalation of tension is based on the exact spot where a proposed water well was to be sunk. The Gelibles, who are majority in the location, claimed the area has a functioning well, thus no need to sink yet another while the Rer Mohamud of the Matan unit said the Gelibles were frustrating their access to the water well.
