A man stands on the ashes of one of the houses set ablaze by attackers/CFM
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 11 – Two legislators have filed a Motion seeking Parliament’s approval for the deployment of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to the troubled Tana Delta where more than 100 people have been killed in ethnic skirmishes in the past three weeks.
Garsen MP Danson Mungatana and his Bura counterpart Abdi Nuh filed the Motion on Tuesday just hours after four more people were killed despite a dusk-to-dawn curfew ordered by President Mwai Kibaki on Monday.
Mungatana said he wished for the Motion to be discussed and approved expeditiously to enable the military intervene and end the crisis in Tana Delta between members of the Pokomo and Orma communities.
“KDF should be deployed for civilian purposes with the aim of pacifying the region of Tan Delta and its environs,” he stated.
The Motion was approved by Deputy Speaker Farah Maalim.
Mungatana and Nuh hoped it would be considered by the House Business Committee at its meeting on Tuesday evening and possibly debated and passed on Wednesday morning.
The MPs will use the provision in Article 241 of the Constitution to have KDF involved in civic duties.
The Kenya Defence Force is principally charged with protecting Kenya from external aggression.
The MPs argue that the military is needed to stop the fighting and forestall any future attacks before any long-term solutions can be found.
Mount Elgon Member of Parliament Fred Kapondi who chairs the Parliamentary Committee on National Security described the massacre in the region as outrageous emphasising that it must be quelled.
“It is disturbing that militia numbering over 300 can organise themselves and execute their plans from both sides the Pokomo and the Orma without any disruption from the government,” he stated.
He questioned the ability of the Kenya Police saying that investigations need to be undertaken on the capability of the police in the region.
Tuesday morning’s attacks in Semikaro village follow a similar one in Kilelengwani where 38 people were killed on Monday morning.