President Uhuru orders investigations into Kajiado shooting

The President on Friday dispatched a senior security team led by Interior CS Dr. Fred Matiang’i and IG Hillary Mutyambai to launch investigations into the shooting incident that left four people dead and others injured. 

“We have had this human-wildlife conflict for long and by now we should have anticipated that when the dry season reaches animals will start moving, and we should have organised ourselves,” Matiang’i said. 

He further apologised to the residents on behalf of the government, saying the situation could have been avoided. 

The Interior CS said that the internal affairs unit of the police service will collect data on everything that happened. 

“We will hold accountable the individuals responsible for the deaths. We need to find out how we ended up with four civilians shot dead, it is not something we condone,” said the CS.

The government, he said, will settle the hospital bills of the people who were injured amid the conflict. 

Additionally, Matiang’i said the government is committed to mapping households affected by drought in the area and supporting them either through cash transfers or food aid. 

Matiang’i said President Uhuru has also ordered the Treasury to make a special allocation to pay compensations in the area that have been pending since 2018. 

The President and CS’s actions come after the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) launched a probe into the shooting incident that occurred when GSU officers were quelling protests in Masimba.

Other residents were also injured during the protests triggered by unresolved human-wildlife conflict in the area.