Kenya: Maasai Group Wants Somali Herders Out

A group of women on Wednesday night drove 2,000 camels from farms in Kajiado.

The Iloodokilani Maasai women said the camels, which belong to Somali herders, spread diseases to their livestock.

The group of more than 200 women walked in the night for 80km, heading to county commissioner Harsama Kello’s office to ask him to address the matter.

The women and the camels disrupted transport in Kajiado town.

The group’s spokesperson Jackline Matipei said the Maasai communities in Iloodokilani, Kajiado West, allowed a few herders to graze their animals.

However, over time, the Somali herders brought thousands of animals, she said.

Matipei said the invasion into their land by the Somali herders has compromised security.

“How can we cohabit with people who cannot even speak Kiswahili?” she said.

Kello said the government was not part of the agreement between the Maasai communities and the Somali herders. He urged the herders to honour the agreement and leave, as requested by the locals.

thestar.com