WAJIR—The County Commissioner of Wajir has rebutted claims that the Wednesday incident at Banane location in Wajir West Constituency was about clan conflict, but personal indifference between two charcoal burners.
Speaking after a security meeting between the clans in the area, Karuku Ngumo said “some individuals painted a picture that the two deaths reported (from Banane) on Wednesday afternoon happened as a result of retaliatory attacks.” He clarified that it was misleading.
The commissioner made the remarks while flanked by the area legislator, Yusuf Farah and elders from the Degodia and Ajuran clans who made a declaration of peace just two days before yesterday’s incident.
Speaking in Wajir on Monday after a two-day peace meeting, the elders—who met over the death of one man killed in the same area a week earlier—-said the Degodia clan “have agreed to pay 100 camels as a retribution.”
Legislator Yusuf Farah called on the area residents to maintain peace and rejects any calls for division.
Commissioner Ngumo similarly blamed the Non-governmental Organization for fuelling the communal land dispute, saying the rush to establish new settlement is a leading cause of conflict. Similar calls were made by the Governor Ahmed Abdullahi.
“Why do you (NGOs) see it fit to create a new settlements when its already difficult to take care of the existing ones,” Ahmed said last month. The Wajir West conflict has since claimed three while several others sustained injuries.
