Three people have been confirmed dead while scores are nursing injuries following fresh ethnic clashes along the Kisumu-Kericho border.
The attackers stormed East Kadiang’a Location in Upper Nyakach Division last night, terrorising residents before fleeing the scene.
Upper Nyakach Assistant County Commissioner Darwin Orina confirmed the incident, saying that several people have arrow and matchette wounds.
This is happening as security officials work to calm tensions in Sondu following the attack.
“About three people have died as at now. Some victims with arrow wounds have been rushed to Nyabondo Mission Hospital for treatment,” Orina said.
The attack comes barely a few days before the president is expected to land in the region for a development tour.
According to witnesses, tensions began to rise on Tuesday afternoon following allegations that a group from one of the communities had met to plan the attack.
Despite multiple reports, they accused police officers of failing to take action to prevent the attack.
A Sondu resident who is still recovering from arrow wounds from a previous attack said that they alerted police officers about the impending attack but received no response.
According to Zablon Owiti, Assistant Chief of the affected East Kadiang’a Sub-location, the deadly attacks could have been avoided if an intelligence report shared with the police early yesterday had been acted on.
The administrator suspects the attack was retaliatory after a member of one of the communities was killed on suspicion of cattle rustling.
“We got this intelligence report and gave it to the police but we don’t know what happened because by around midnight, the attackers came in a large number,” he said.
