Three individuals died as a result of an early morning shootout between two communities on January 2, 2025 in Elgeyo Marakwet County.

What led to the death of three individuals

The violence erupted over border disputes in the Mogil area of Kerio Valley.

Several other people sustained injuries during the clashes, with eyewitnesses reporting that tensions escalated after one group set fire to a house in a nearby village, linked to the ongoing land dispute at the border.

Report from Police Commander Zablon Okoyo

According to Elgeyo Marakwet Police Commander Zablon Okoyo, police officers were sent to the affected area and have successfully eased the tense situation.

”It is about a land dispute between two clans that had an earlier agreement about some parcel of land, but the agreement was not well furnished,” Okoyo mentioned.

Additionally he mentioned that; “unluckily today in the morning, there was a gunfight between the two sides that left the three with fatalities and the injuries recorded.”

”We are still mitigating the situation to see that the effects do not spill over and see that we bring the two communities together.”

Okoyo, however, downplayed concerns about escalating tensions, describing the incident as an isolated occurrence, emphasizing that the region had enjoyed peace for an extended period.

The incident occurred at a time when law enforcement agencies are on high alert due to the national government’s initiatives to address ethnic clashes and banditry in the region.