Tana River County Governor Dhadho Godhana and Galole Member of Parliament (MP) Hiribae Said Buya were yesterday released from custody after beingย grilled by detectivesย drawn from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).[โฆ]CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLEโถ
The two were arrested Friday evening after failing to honour summons to help in investigations on the tribal clashes that led to the deaths of 18 people in less than two weeks.
โIt is true we have arrested Tana River Governor and Galole MP Said Hiribae. The two politicians were summoned to our offices over the ongoing clashes in Tana River but they failed to honor summons,โ the Director of DCI Mohamed Amin reported following their arrest.
Escalating between October 4 and October 12, the inter-clan clashes began as a petty dispute over a watering point before quickly turning violent and spreading to nearby villages.
This worrying trend prompted action from both local and national authorities ultimately leading to the summons of five politicians from the County including Garsen MP Ali Wario, Bura MP Yakub Adow, and Bangali MCA Jibril Mahamud Farah.
Although the latter three honoured their summons, the Governor and Galole MP failed to show which led to their arrests by the DCI.
Following their release after the grilling, the DCI stated that the five have been forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) who will provide the way forward on whether they will be charged or not.
Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana met with the leaders following their release and joined them in urging the residents to restore peace in the region and work as a united front to stop the tribal clashes.
โWe, the politicians of Tana River County, have come together to say that we are all for peace and ask all the citizens to maintain peace in Tana River. We urge you to forgive each other whenever there is a problem,โ he stated.
Hiribae also advocated for peace-keeping saying, โWe went before the authorities and the process will continue tomorrow but that should not lead to community clashes. We want peace restored in the Tana River region from today and for all clans to live together and do business together.โ
The investigations towards the cause of the deadly clashes that left several injured and 18 dead within two weeks are, however, not over yet. The county security committee has confirmed that more people will be summoned later today as investigations continue.
On Friday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki declared several areas in 2 Tana River Sub-counties asย danger zonesย including; Madogo, Areri, Saka, Sala, Mororo, and Mbalambala in Bangale Sub-County, alongside Hirimani, Hosingo, Dukanotu, Chewele, Nanighi, and Bura in Tana North Sub-County.
On Sunday however, the county commissioner David Koskey reported that relative calm had been noted within the past 24 hours following several security teams including the KDF tightening up patrolsโฆCLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES>>>
