Five killed as herdsmen, farmers fight over unresolved land conflict

Kilindi/Dar. Five people have been shot dead and slaughtered while three more have been injured in a fracas between herdsmen and farmers.

The incident happened on Sunday, January 30, 2022 at Kibirashi and Elerai villages, Kilindi District, Tanga.

Witnesses say the writing was on the wall as the two groups had been engaged in a land conflict that remained unresolved for a long time.

With an unresolved conflict, the two groups decided to take the law into their own hands and went into a brawl with guns, axes and machetes.

Richard Masaki, a farmer who witnessed the fight, claimed that the brawl started when a group of herdsmen from the Maasai tribe ambushed them.

But David Kimaki, a herdsman who was also present during the incident, said the conflict took the life of his grandchild, Betina, who was slaughtered during the fracas.

“Gunshots ensued and I thought it had to be the same group of people so I called the police officer responsible for criminal investigations at district level and informed him of the fight and the possibility of more dead bodies. After he arrived, we scanned the place and found other dead bodies,” explained Kimaki.

The Kilindi District Commissioner, who is also the chairman for the defence and security at district level, Mr Abel Busalama, also arrived at the scene only to find out that five people had been killed and three were injured.

He urged the two parties to stop the fight and come to a roundtable for find an amicable solution to the conflict.

Following the incident the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Simon Sirro is currently in Tanga for formal inquiry.