Saturday, September 13, 2014
MANDERA, KENYA:THE creation of county governments has become a curse for northern Kenya, and is responsible for the current spate of violence between Somali clans in Mandera and Wajir.
The Degodia Clan, which is the majority in Wajir but second in population in Mandera, believes that the elite of the Garre Clan, which is the majority in Mandera, is out to cleanse other clans out of the region.
Using the Sh8 billion allocated to the County Government of Mandera under devolution, the Garre elite are said to be aspiring to ensure they increase their population margin in order to win all elective seats in future.
On the other hand, the Garre believe it is the Degodia who are the aggressors, displaying expansionist tendencies. With the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission having failed to point out the exact border between the two counties, the Garre have vowed not to cede any of their land to the Degodia.
Several experts and community members interviewed by the Star concluded that the ongoing violence is about only two things: land and politics.
The release of devolution funds to Mandera County means that the Garre elite, sections of which has converted itself into both a Mafia network and a militia with an iron grip on the business and political sectors, as well as policing, Intelligence and administration, is fuelling instability and insecurity in a manner not to be found anywhere else in Kenya.
Read our Spotlight report on the anatomy of the Mandera Problem. This topography of fear, murder, mayhem and grand corruption drives the never-ending conflict in the country’s northeastern frontier region.