A Kenyan regional governor has been arrested in relation to clan fighting in the coastal Tana River county in which several people have been killed.
Dhadho Godhana, alongside a local lawmaker, were separately arrested for failing to honour summons in connection to the clashes, police said on Saturday. The pair has not publicly responded to the accusations.
At least 14 people have been killed in the clashes in south-east Kenya, prompting the authorities to designate two regions in the county as dangerous and insecure for the next 30 days.
Security has been beefed up in the areas and residents prohibited from bearing arms, according to a gazette notice by the interior ministry.
Governor questioned
Godhana turned himself up on Saturday morning at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters in the capital, Nairobi, and was being questioned over the clashes, DCI chief Mohamed Amin said.
“We are looking forward to prosecuting those who will be found culpable over what is being witnessed in Tana River, when we are through with the probe,” he is quoted as saying by the local Citizen news website.
Five politicians from Tana River county have already been summoned to appear before the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) on Monday for questioning over allegations of inciting conflict between two communities.
Tana River has previously witnessed ethnic clashes over cattle-grazing rights that left dozens dead.
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