KISUMU, Kenya Oct 8 – Majority Leader in the Senate, Aaron Cheruiyot, has lauded the government’s decision to reshuffle security officers along the troubled border between Kisumu and Kericho counties at Sondu, following recent clashes that resulted in fatalities, injuries, and displacement.
Cheruiyot, who represents Kericho County, emphasized the need to address criminal elements as well as incitement.
“I appreciate that the reshuffles were done, but that is not enough; we should go after these criminals who are killing our people,” he said.
Cheruiyot said communities from both sides of the border had voiced concerns about police inaction, making the transfer of security personnel a step in the right direction.
Cheruiyot asserted that the police had faltered in discharging their duties diligently, explaining, “From the Kericho side, the locals were complaining that they were being attacked, but the police restrained them from retaliating, and the same story was true from the Kisumu side.”
Accompanying President William Ruto on his tour of Nyanza, Senator Cheruiyot emphasized the importance of not pitting the two communities against each other due to criminal activities. He regarded the border issue as a scapegoat, noting that a group of criminals was responsible for inflicting harm on people.
He also emphasized the significance of Sondu market as a shared social place, cautioning against using it to fuel animosity between the two tribes. He reminisced about the harmonious coexistence of both communities along the border when he was growing up, urging the preservation of this brotherhood.
The Senator pointed out that borders are artificial, and the bond between the two communities cannot be severed by mere boundaries. He expressed his distress over the recent deaths, which have reached a tally of seven, and called for a thorough investigation to bring the criminals to justice.
Cheruiyot questioned the reasons behind recurring flare-ups in the Sondu area when Kisumu and Kericho share a substantial boundary without similar tension. He asserted, “The constant fight in Sondu must be having a hidden agenda; it is not normal, and the government must find a solution.”
During his first day in Kisumu on Friday, President Ruto directed Cabinet Secretary for Interior, Kithure Kindiki, to expedite the arrest and arraignment of all perpetrators involved in the recent incidents.
