By Abdimalik Hajir - Reporter
June 09, 2026 - Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has appealed to communities in Garissa and Tana River counties to embrace peace and end recurrent conflicts along the border areas linking the two counties.
The border regions connecting Tana River County, Garissa County, and Kitui County have for many years experienced recurrent inter-community conflicts largely driven by competition over scarce natural resources, particularly water and pasture.
The conflicts predominantly involve pastoralist communities from Garissa and parts of Tana River, who depend on livestock keeping, and farming communities in Kitui and sections of Tana River whose livelihoods rely on crop production.
Over the years, the clashes have resulted in significant humanitarian and socio-economic consequences, including loss of lives, destruction of property, livestock theft, displacement of families, disruption of trade and transport, closure of schools, and deterioration of inter-community relations.
The most recent escalation occurred in April when a series of retaliatory attacks between communities living along the Kitui–Garissa–Tana River border resulted in multiple deaths.
At least 12 people were killed in successive revenge attacks, while many others were injured or displaced. The violence also triggered demonstrations, disrupted transport services, and led to the destruction of property.
Speaking during a fundraising event for Darulhikma and Taqwa Madrassas in Darulhikma village in Bura Constituency on Sunday, CS Duale warned that continued disruption of peace risked serious consequences for residents living in the affected counties.
Duale urged residents to embrace calm and peaceful coexistence, noting that neighboring communities are bound together by geography and history.
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“Without peace, our mothers will not be able to do their businesses. Without peace, people will not go to mosques or churches. Without peace, our roads will become impassable and transport will be paralysed,” Duale said.
“I urge the people of Tana River, and we will also engage leaders from Garissa and Kitui. We have always been neighbours. We are neighbours because God deemed it so. You can choose a friend, but you cannot choose your neighbour. Today, we cannot move Tana River elsewhere, nor can we move Kitui or Garissa counties,” he added.
Duale’s sentiments were echoed by Bura Member of Parliament Yakub Adow, who called for peaceful coexistence and respect for county boundaries.
“We and the people of Kitui are peaceful people. I want to tell the people of Tana River that all we want is peace. However, I also want to tell the people of Kitui that constructing police stations funded by the Kitui County Government inside Tana River borders is unacceptable. We want peace, but the land of Tana River should remain for the people of Tana River,” Yakub said.
Hussein Argamso, a resident of Tana River, called on residents from the affected counties to learn to coexist peacefully, noting that factors triggering the conflicts, such as scarcity of resources and climate-induced pressure on livelihoods, are natural challenges that require cooperation rather than violence.
He added that unresolved boundary disputes and weak conflict-management structures have remained largely unaddressed over the years.