By BONIFACE MWANIKI 

Residents and leaders equally are still wondering why no arrests have so far been made, despite claims that some attackers were identified by locals.

The joint burial ceremony took place at Tseikuru Primary School before being dispatched for interment in various homes at Tseikuru and Kwa Kamari areas. Speaking at the send off ceremony, Kitui Governor Dr. Julius Malombe lauded the national government for operationalizing the Kwa Kamari police station by deploying police officers. He also urged the governor to make all the other constructed police stations along the border operational to curb insecurity. 

Kitui Women Rep Dr. Irene Kasalu called for immediate arrest of the perpetrators, as word has it that they are even known by name. 

Mwingi North MP on his part called for calm as investigations takes place, since Kenyans should be allowed to mingle freely wherever they live across the country. 

By JOHN KIMANI 

  

Fuel is the heartbeat of Kenya’s economy. When petrol prices rise, transport costs surge, and every commodity that relies on movement from farm to market becomes more expensive. The April fuel hike translated directly into higher food prices:  

-Eggs:From KSh 12–14 each to KSh 18–20 

- 

-Tomatoes (nyanya):From KSh 80–100 per kilo to KSh 150–180 

- 

-Onions: From KSh 70–90 per kilo to KSh 130–160

If the cost of basic ingredients rises faster than wages, isn’t the pay increase swallowed before it reaches the table? On paper, a 12–15% wage increase looks promising. But when inflation eats into food, transport, and rent, how much of that increment survives? If eggs rise by nearly 40%, tomatoes by 50%, and onions by 70%, doesn’t the wage increase evaporate before it reaches the table?  

COTU’s call for a 23% wage increment reflects this reality. The union argues that anything less is inadequate in the face of runaway inflation. Yet even at 23%, can wages truly outpace the relentless climb of commodity prices driven by fuel costs?

Contrast this with the former President the late Mwai Kibaki's government. When salaries were adjusted upwards in the 2000s, workers felt the difference. Why? Because commodities were relatively cheap, fuel prices were stable, and inflation was low. A pay rise meant more food on the table, school fees paid on time, and savings tucked away.  

Isn’t it telling that during Kibaki’s tenure, wage increments were “sweet” because the economy allowed workers to stretch their shillings? Today, the same increments feel bitter, eroded by inflation before they can translate into better livelihoods.

Economically, wage increments without price stabilization are like pouring water into a leaking bucket. The numbers rise, but the value drains away. Fuel hikes inflate transport costs, which inflate commodity prices, which erode the purchasing power of every shilling earned. Isn’t this the paradox of wage policy in an inflationary economy—that workers celebrate increments, but markets quietly erase them?

Street food, once the cheapest lifeline for students, boda riders, and matatu passengers, is under siege. The boiled egg with kachumbari, once a symbol of affordability, now mirrors the struggle of inflation. Tomatoes have become gems, onions luxuries, and eggs survival tokens. Isn’t this more than a food story—it’s a reflection of how economic shocks ripple into daily life?

President Ruto’s Labour Day announcement raises hope, and COTU’s demand for a 23% increment raises pressure. But the question lingers: will salary increases really better livelihoods, or will inflation—fueled by rising petrol costs—always run faster than our pay slips? 

The Kibaki era showed that wage increments can transform lives when commodities are affordable. Today, the challenge is not just raising salaries, but taming inflation so that pay rises translate into real prosperity.

In a hard-hitting reflection, Mavusyu says leaders have for years chosen “public outrage, threats and politics” over real solutions, even as killings continue without arrests.

“Our people have been killed before, yet no one is ever arrested. The same is likely to happen in the current Tseikuru and Nguni cases,” he warns. “After the burials, the matter will slowly fade away like many previous incidents, until another tragedy occurs and the cycle of anger and condemnation begins again. This reflects a complete failure of leadership.”

Mavusyu insists Kitui has the knowledge to end the menace but lacks “innovative thinking, political goodwill, commitment and courage” from leaders. 

He calls for benchmarking from counties like Makueni, Narok, Samburu and parts of North Eastern Region, where communities have built home-grown solutions to land use, grazing disputes, and border conflicts.

One practical fix, he says, is a protected animal corridor running from the Mwingi North Reserve to Kitui South. It would integrate: 

At the same time, the Kitui County Assembly must enact laws that: 

“For example, imposing heavy fines for every camel illegally grazed within protected areas or corridors would discourage unlawful grazing, help remove alleged illegal herders through lawful means and restore long-term order,” Mavusyu notes.

He points out that Governor Dr. Malombe included the corridor agenda in his last campaign manifesto. The conservancy plan is also “properly captured in the County 2024 Revised CIDP.” What’s missing is speed. 

“That process now needs to be fast-tracked, especially by MCAs from the affected regions, while ensuring a proper budget allocation is put in place,” he says. A clear county policy would also attract conservation partners and development agencies to fund the plan.

Mavusyu challenges MPs and MCAs from affected areas to “wake up from slumber, speak with one voice and champion practical solutions instead of endless political statements after every attack.”

Beyond reducing human conflict, he argues, the corridor and laws would: 

“The long-term solution lies in sound policy, conservation, community participation and proper land management — not endless reactions after every tragedy,” Mavusyu concludes. “This is the time for serious reflection on this very unfortunate matter.”

-Mulaimu Mavusyu

By MWINGI TIMES CORRESPONDENT 

The MP called upon the National Government to operationalise the newly constructed police station at Kwa Kamari. Despite the County Government of Kitui having built the facility, it is unable to help residents since it lacks basic resources to serve wananchi.

"I want to ask the Government of Kenya within the next one week to operationalise the station so that we give security to residents", said MP Paul Nzengu.

He went on, "there is also the issue of network.  I want to appeal to the Communication Authority. People tried to make calls to police officers in Tseikuru but they could not get hold of them because there was no network".

According to the Mwingi North MP, the constituency has lost many innocent lives to banditry in the recent past. "From 2015 to date in Tseikuru,  85 people have been killed in this manner. In Ngomeni, 70 people were killed", said Eng Nzengu.

It is believed that the camel herders come from Wajir and Mandera counties to graze their camels,  at times invading farms and destroying crops besides causing loss of lives to locals and scarring them for years.

By MWINGI TIMES CORRESPONDENT 

Nguni MCA Jeremiah Mutua issued an ultimate of 12 hours to government to solve the killing of the minor. He also took opportunity to urge residents to remain calm as government agencies investigate the horrendous incident.

"I got reports that camel herders invaded my residents in Katuni village  near Mwanzele and killed a school going child. I am in work trip in Rwanda", said the legislator on a phone call.

Residents took to the streets of Mwingi and Nguni towns barricading roads in protest. 

The young child's killing comes days after seven people were killed in Kwa Kamari Trading Centre in the neighboring Mwingi North subcounty.