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One person was killed, and several others sustained varying degrees of injuries after they were reportedly struck with arrows during a dispute over land hosting a sugarcane plantation in Muhoroni, Kisumu County, in Kenya.
The dispute has triggered tension among residents of the community, as relatives of the deceased and the injured victims have been thrown into panic.
The managing director of West Valley Sugar Company, Benjamin Soi, who spoke to Daily Nation, a newspaper in Kenya, said the flare-up saw one of the firm’s trailers intercepted by unknown individuals and set ablaze.
“I heard that they also assaulted the driver, whose whereabouts we do not know,” said Soi.
He further disclosed that the company has faced incidents in recent weeks in which its sugarcane fields were deliberately set on fire by individuals claiming ownership of the land on which the crop is planted, a development that has been a source of concern for him and other staff members.
“Our sugarcane farms have been burnt several times in the recent past by people claiming the land is theirs,” he said.
A senior police officer, who is not authorised to speak to the media, revealed that an earlier confrontation between company security officers and local grazers accused of trespassing on the plantation may have triggered the violence.
The officer said two members of the Koguta community were reportedly attacked with arrows during the altercation.
Authorities, however, said that they have yet to verify the identity and condition of the victims.
locals have reportedly set fire to sections of the company’s sugarcane plantation and the trailer used to transport the cane in retaliation.
Daily Nation also reported that security agencies are monitoring the situation, warning that the dispute could spiral further and potentially assume an ethnic dimension if not contained.
A man identified as Tirop has also been mentioned in connection with the rising tension, though his exact role remains unclear.
