Chaos in Mount Elgon: The Little Known Inside Story

Kumekucha Exclusive:
Yours truly managed to get somebody behind the scenes and deep inside the military operation that is going in right now in the Mount Elgon area. Our man ventured where no journalist or aid worker has reached. Here is their fascinating report complete with photographs;

Mt Elgon and IDPs

The Mount Elgon fighting is actually 2 battles in one. There is one tribal battle that spreads across from Uganda to Swam, Salama and Endebess on the Kenyan side and the Kapsakwony fighting that is about land and in particular the Chebeyuk settlement scheme that has been in contention since the early seventies.

The reason the Government is finding it so difficult to bring the fighting under control is that the real perpetrators are not in Kenya.

Lets clarify this. The Sabaot have 5 clans. The Bok clan. There are also the Bongowek, Ndorobo, Soy and Sebeii. The Sebeii are mainly in Uganda and lay claim to the Endebess, Swam, Salama region. This is the root cause of the fighting on this flank of the mountain. The main occupants from the Kenya side are the Bukusu. It is they that fill up most of the IDP camp in Endebess the enterprising Sebeii taking advantage of the the post election violence to launch their own offensive.

On the other side, a sub clan of the Bok, from which all the Mp’s and Councillors in Mt Elgon constituency come from is very powerful. This is the sub clan from which both the current and former MP come from. But the most dangerous thing about the Bok is their sheer capacity for violence and the fact that they have now moved from fighting for land to extortion of money. In fact the other clans are being held ransom by the Bok.

The real face behind the Mt Elgon killings is one ‘Liabon’ Jason Ngwoso Jason Ngwoso Psongoywo who lives in Uganda. This is the leader of the Sabaot Land Defence Forces. The fact that this man controls operations from outside Kenya is part of the reason why the army and police cannot control the violence. This man is described by the Provincial administration as a ‘devil’ and from the stories about him on the ground one understands why.

Official sources told Kumekucha that when one finds the bodies of some of the victims, even hardened soldiers are traumatized. Ngwoso makes the Bok youth perform ritualized killings to strengthen them and cheapen human life. They cut of hands, private parts and gouge out eyes. They also remove internal body parts such as liver. Another reason why army and police are not keen to engage these folk. These guys make Mungiki look like child's play.

They are bold enough to call Police and army commanders just to say hi. They even sometimes call and say ‘I can see you, you are walking along such and such street’ of course they have spies all over the place. They ‘see’ the police or army from way off. They can then evaluate the size and firepower and are gone long before the army can mobilize

The Provincial administration even have the Liabons mobile number but to touch him means to cross into Uganda and in the meantime the carnage that will be unleashed by his boys will be terrifying. They say they have identified many of the killers (Bok) and are now using the army to flush them (kill them) out.

Some staff from Medicins sans Frontier based in Endebess told Kumekucha how 10 days ago they went up the mountain on a medical programme and came across a household of 13 Bukusu that had been slaughtered by the Sebeii who also practice ritualized killings.. One, a pregnant woman had her womb slit open. The fetus had been removed and sliced into little pieces.


IDP’s

In most of the camps that is, Nakuru (Afraha and Showground), Showground Kitale and Endebess and Turbo the majority of the displaced do not want to risk going home yet.

The thing to remember about the camps is that despite the majority of IDP’s being Kikuyu, there are Kalenjin, Luo, Luhya, Turkana, Kisii and Maasai as well. For instance, Afraha in Nakuru (928) is mostly Luo and Luhya while showground is 99% Kikuyu (13,000)

Endebess is 95% Bukusu (4,000) while Kitale showground is a mix ( up to 20,000) and Turbo (2-3000) is mainly Kikuyu.

Conditions in the camp are very difficult and will be compounded by rain. The Kenya Red Cross have done a sterlinbg job in keeping these people alive. Also the UNHCR, Medicin sans frontiers, UNICEF who provide mobile schools and a number of other NGO’s.

Of course there are the usual anomalies such as jobless people who are not displaced register so they can get a place to stay and get free food. Amazingly enterprising Kenyas are taking advantage of the compensation programme (which is yet to officially kick off) and those doing badly (financially) have been known to set their own business and or homes alight and come to the camps then fill in compensation forms and claim far more than they had.

Ultimately the real problem with the IDP’s is where they will go. If they go back home to their farms they may be safe as long as the status quo holds. If Kibaki and Raila fall out, they will be killed the same day. The violence was planned in stages. Apparently what we witnessed was only phase one. Phase 2 was far worse had it come about. Major factories and government installations had been targeted. These would also include private firms owned by Asians and Somali businessmen. For instance, in Eldoret, Raiply and Brookside were phase 2.

The IDP from Western Kenya are more likely to go home sooner as the Luhya are not as hostile as the Kalenjin who have already started farming on IDPs land. In fact the feeling amongst the Kalenjin is that it's over. The Kikuyu have gone and we have our land back and life goes on. The Kalenjin militia can mobilize in hours and now they have guns (they have been buying them).

For instance, yesterday two IDPs went back to their homes in Nandi South. They were asked what they have come for and chased away with a warning never to return or they will be killed. Period.

More information from others on the ground in the Mount Elgon area.

Breaking News:

KTN did not air their usual 9 pm News today. A message flashing across the screen apologized and said that the station was having technical difficulties. Later the same flashing message said that even the 11 pm news would not be aired after all and news will resume tomorrow.