Two dead, one nursing bullet wounds in Kitui East clash

While giving a detailed report about the shooting-murder incident that happened yesterday, Kitui County Commissioner Kipchumba Ruto said that the incident was not   intercommunity conflict but one arising from illegal charcoal burners from either sides of Kitui and Tana River counties.

"These are criminals who met in the bush when dealing with charcoal burning and they disagreed", he said.

The remote Malalani location is where twenty charcoal burners were attacked by the assailants. When the shooting and killing happened, the rest fled the scene. Police visited the crime scene and recovered spent cartridges which they will analyse during their forensic investigations.

According to the report from county security boss, all the three victims of the shootings were men. Those gunned down were Kisang'au Muthui, aged 30 and Maneno Musili, 25 years while the one who is nursing gun shot wounds is Muteti Mwonga 20 years old.

Kitui County Commissioner Kipchumba Ruto further added that the attackers stole one solar panel, two mobile phones and a radio from Kitui charcoal burners."Their motive is yet to be known. Police processed the area with a view to arresting criminals", he assured residents of the volatile border he described as "remote, unsettled and very close to Tana River border".

The government has imposed a ban of Kamba and Oroma locals transporting charcoal along Mutomo-Mutha-Kitui road. Those who will be caught in the act will be arrested and be taken to courts of law to be charged, the Kitui county commissioner Kipchumba Ruto warned.

As a measure to avert retaliations, the Kitui County Commissioner told the media that a security committee has been set up with leaders from both Tana River and Kitui counties. "Zombe security committee to liases with Galole security committee and local elders from both sides to avert further clashes", said CC Ruto.