Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has called for urgent disarmament and justice for victims following deadly inter-community clashes along the Kitui–Tana River border, even as calm begins to return to parts of the affected region.
Speaking in Nairobi, Duale urged leaders across the region to promote peace and unity, warning against ethnic divisions in the wake of the violence.
“I want to send a message of peace and unity to our people in Tana River, Garissa and neighbouring Isiolo. Kenya belongs to all of us. There is no zoning of communities,” he said.
The CS emphasized the need for security agencies to act decisively against those behind the attacks, insisting that perpetrators must be arrested and prosecuted.
“Criminals and bandits who have taken lives must be apprehended and brought to book,” he added.
His remarks come as calm is gradually returning to Kwa Kamari in Tseikuru, Kitui County, where a recent attack left seven people dead, several others injured and homes torched, sparking widespread fear and displacement.
Security has since been heightened in the volatile border region, with a heavy deployment of General Service Unit (GSU) officers and regular police aimed at restoring order and preventing further retaliatory attacks.
Kitui Governor Dr Julius Malombe has also called for a ceasefire between communities and urged the national government to operationalise more police stations along the Kitui–Tana River border to strengthen security and deter future clashes.
Authorities say the cycle of retaliatory attacks has so far claimed at least 12 lives, raising alarm over the escalating insecurity in the region.
The violence has drawn sharp political reactions, with Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka terming the killings a “governance failure” and demanding increased security deployments, a thorough investigation and the disarmament of illegal firearms.
Leaders now face mounting pressure to deliver lasting solutions as residents call for protection, justice and an end to the recurring bloodshed along the border.
