CS Tuya grilled over Gov’t inaction as 40 Kenyans still missing after Todonyang massacre

The National Assembly’s Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee has questioned the government’s laxity in pursuing suspected militia from Ethiopia linked to the disappearance and killing of more than 40 people in Todonyang, Turkana County.

Appearing before the committee, Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya said her ministry could not investigate the matter as it was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Interior.

It has been six months since heavily armed suspected Dassanech militia from neighbouring Ethiopia ambushed Kenyan fishermen at Lopeimukat and Natira areas on Lake Turkana along the Kenya-Ethiopia border near River Omo, leaving multiple fatalities.

More than 40 people were reported missing and are believed dead, with only two bodies recovered from the scene so far. Another similar attack followed later.

However, nearly 180 days on, there has been little progress from the government in pursuing the attackers and bringing them to justice.

On Tuesday, Members of Parliament put CS Tuya on the spot over the perceived inaction by the military.

Turkana North MP Ekwom Nabuin said, “The Ethiopian militia attacked our people and killed more than 40 people. What was reported was 41, but we believe they were more.”

Mandera North MP Bashir Abdullahi added, “There was no protest, no letter to the Ethiopian government. It is like we kept quiet. A country invading your citizens and you keep quiet is not fair.”

In her response, Tuya stated: “The incident took place within our internal waters in Turkana, therefore making the involvement of KDF very limited. In regards to investigations, we are not involved at all.”

The MPs are now calling for speedy intervention by all relevant ministries to deliver justice to the more than 40 families still grieving.

Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan remarked, “I get the feeling that the State perhaps doesn’t care more about the people of Turkana. We just need very concrete action on how the Kenyan government is going to protect its citizens from foreign attacks.”

Nabuin pressed further, “You are saying the mandate of protecting waters… we are talking about the waters at the borders, not inside Kenya.”

Tuya responded, “The member is right to say the focus is on the border points where we have a number of aspects that touch on KDF. The borders we are talking about are of high priority for the establishment of forward operating bases and barracks.”

Committee chair Nelson Koech concluded, “This committee too will require a report on the issues we have raised because these are extremely serious matters.”

The situation in Todonyang remains tense as residents await government action.