A youthful political activist in Kitui South was on Wednesday summoned and grilled by detectives at Mutomo Police Station over remarks he allegedly made during a burial in Mutha, Kitui South Constituency, which police believe could amount to incitement in the ongoing conflict between Somali herders and local residents.
Antony Mutua, a vocal youth leader from the region, appeared before officers following a police summon issued earlier this week. He recorded a statement over comments attributed to him regarding the simmering tensions between pastoralists and locals in Mutha Ward. His remarks, reportedly made during a burial ceremony, allegedly urged locals to take a harder stance against the herders, a matter police say they are now investigating to determine if they bordered on incitement.
Speaking to the press shortly after recording his statement, Mutua dismissed the importance of dialogue efforts between the pastoralists and the residents, saying such conversations have historically failed to bear fruit.
“We have talked and talked with these people — nothing has changed. Dialogue has not worked before and I don’t think it will. There is no political goodwill from local leaders and the authorities to end this problem once and for all,” said Mutua.
He further called on the Kitui County government to relinquish management of the Kitui Game Reserve to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), claiming the reserve has become a hideout for criminals who continue to unleash attacks on Mutha communities as they fight over access to water and pasture.
Earlier this week, over 100 homesteads in Mutha were torched in what authorities suspect to be a premeditated arson attack. The affected residents are now homeless and have been spending nights in the cold after their village was razed down by unknown assailants believed to be armed herders.
Mutua also took a swipe at area MP Dr. Rachael Nyamai over remarks she made last week at a bodaboda empowerment function, where she appealed to fellow leaders to talk to “her friends who own the camels” responsible for the invasion.
The youth leader now wants the MP to also be summoned by police to record a statement on what she knows about the camel owners.
“If the MP knows these owners as her friends and she has even admitted it publicly, she should be the first one to appear before detectives. We want her to explain what she knows about these people,” Mutua insisted.
The tensions in Mutha, which fall within Kitui South, have escalated over the past months amid ongoing clashes between Somali herders and Kamba locals over grazing land and dwindling water sources, with local leaders facing mounting pressure to address the recurring violence.
