NAIROBI, April 10 – The second anniversary in honour of 14 people who died in the 2006 Marsabit plane crash was held on Thursday.
Family, friends and residents of Moyale and Marsabit districts gathered at Kofia Mbaya, the scene of the tragic accident some few kilometres from Marsabit town, where they held prayers and raised a flag to symbolise peace.
The 14 people, including six Members of Parliament (MPs) were killed when a military helicopter they were travelling in went down in bad weather.
The six legislators who died include Guracha Galgalo (Moyale), Dr Bonaya Godana (North Horr), Abdi Sasura (Saku), Titus Ngoyoni (Laisamis), Abdullahi Adan (East African Legislative Assembly) and former Assistant Minister Mirugi Kariuki (Nakuru), who led the peace delegation whose members perished in the mid morning crash.
The peace delegation had been expected to discuss ways to eliminate the constant killings over land and water points, as well as rampant cattle rustling.
The late Godana’s widow Sarah presided over Thursday’s ceremony and urged Kenyans to embrace peace.
"Kenyans should learn from past mistakes and live in harmony," she said.
For the past two years, Marsabit and Moyale districts have enjoyed a semblance of peace unlike in the past 10 years, when cattle rustling and banditry had become a way of life for most locals.
Marsabit divisional police Chief Francis Sang said cases of cattle rustling had drastically reduced and lauded the local residents for embracing community policing.
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in the clash torn Bura Division following mounting ethnic tensions in the area.
Tana River District Commissioner Musyambu Wanyama said more than 600 security forces had been deployed in the area.
At least 60 people from the Orma and Wardei communities have been killed in ethnic flare-ups there since October last year.
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