Herders grazing their animals. Garissa leaders criticize Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai for ordering Garissa herders out his constituency. [Photo/Charles Ronald]
Leaders from Garissa County have criticised Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai who issued a 10-day ultimatum for Garissa herders to leave his constituency.
Balambala MP Abdi Shurie and Garissa Woman Representative Annab Subow said the move to not allow herders from Garissa to graze in Kitui East was wrong.
The leaders said the order from MP Mbai could stir disharmony between residents of the two counties and even cause conflict.
Herders from Garissa were crossing over into Kitui in search of water and pasture following drought in the Northern region.
Ms. Subow said the MP should have engaged Garissa leaders to find a solution before confronting the herders.
Ms. Subow demanded that the MP issue an apology following his statement that Garissa herders are not welcomed in his constituency as they were the ones causing conflicts in the county with the local herders.
“The order by the MP could cause conflict between herders from the two counties. We demand an immediate apology from the MP. Otherwise, he will be personally held responsible for anything resulting from his unfortunate statements.”
“As leaders, we don’t condone conflicts between the Somali herders and their Kamba neighbours over sharing of resources. We need to encourage the communities to live peacefully,” said the woman rep.
Ms. Shurie said the two communities have peacefully coexisted over the years, saying the Kamba community is a major stakeholder in Garissa county.
On Saturday, MP Mbai confronted hundreds of herders who were grazing their livestock in Endau Malalani and ordered that they leave his constituency promising to lead a team to forcefully evict them if they fail to do so.
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