UPDATE Monday, August 3: The Court directed that the 14 suspects linked to the ethnic violence that rocked Njoro area be detained for 10 days.
This was for the police to carry out conclusive investigations into the incident. The prosecution had requested for 14 days to link the suspects to the murder.
The hearing has been scheduled for Thursday, August 13, 2020.
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Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya on Sunday, August 2, revealed that several politicians had been arrested in connection with the ethnic clashes in Nakuru County during the week.
Speaking to the press, a visibly angry Natembeya made it clear that no one was too powerful to be apprehended.
"Nobody is above the law. Some of the people in custody are politicians and people with known political affiliations. You will see them in court tomorrow," he stated.
He further revealed that one of the people currently in custody was a local Assistant Chief.
Five people have since died following the spate of killings, the Rift Valley Commissioner confirrmed.
"The youngest was a 16-year-old while the oldest was 33 years of age. However, we also recovered the body of an unidentified man who had no ID on him," he revealed.
Forty people are currently recuperating at the Nakuru County Referral Hospital, all in stable condition.
The conflict began on the night of Tuesday, July 28, in Olposimoru following a botched stock theft incident. It soon spread to Nassuit, Ndosua and Mariashoni.
In the latest update, Natembeya announced that 3,008 people were currently camped at Nassuit Primary and Secondary Schools as well as the Elburgon Police Station after fleeing their homes.
A total of 198 houses were razed down during the clashes.
However, Natembeya stated that the situation was under control, and urged the displaced persons to make their way back home, assuring them that he had deployed enough security personnel.
He also informed the area residents that the national and county governments would provide them with basic building materials to help them rebuild their homes.
The commission went on to warn them against falling victim to sinister plans engineered by local leaders looking to use chaos for political gain.
On July 31, Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui imposed a five-day curfew starting 6-00 p.m. – 7.00 a.m. in Njoro, Mau Narok and Elburgon in a bid to tame the ethnic clashes.
He also announced that during the period, no resident would be allowed to carry any offensive weapons including bows, arrows and machetes, adding that he had reached out to both sides of the divide and commenced dialogues on a peaceful resolution to the matter.
Watch Natembeya's Press Briefing Below:
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