Violence erupted in Suswa, Narok County, on January 17, 2025, as Maasai herders clashed with police officers, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries.
The violent confrontation, which lasted throughout the day, began when a group of about 2,000 protesters blocked the Narok-Mai Mahiu Highway at Duka Moja Trading Centre.
The herders were demanding compensation for 25 sheep that were killed in a non-injury accident the previous day along the busy highway in the Mitimbili area.
As tensions escalated, the herders, armed with clubs and machetes, engaged in running battles with the police.
The situation quickly turned deadly, with at least three people feared dead.
One police officer was critically injured after being hacked and beaten by the protesters, and several others sustained injuries in the violent clashes.
The National Police Service (NPS) reported that nine officers were seriously injured during the confrontation, with two of them being airlifted to Nairobi for further medical treatment, one of whom had his hand severed by a Maasai sword.
NPS attempted to restore order by firing blanks and deploying tear gas to disperse the crowd, but their efforts only intensified the violence.
In the chaos, police vehicles, including two Land Cruisers, were damaged, and a firearm belonging to one of the injured officers was stolen.
The weapon has since been recovered, though it was found without its magazine.
The violence and roadblock caused a significant disruption to transport along the Narok-Kisii route, leaving travelers stranded for hours.
Protesters had barricaded the road with burning tires, and thick smoke filled the air, creating further barriers for traffic.
Long queues of vehicles, including buses, trucks, and personal cars, were immobilized in the gridlock.
Some travelers resorted to abandoning their vehicles and walking to continue their journey.
“We are currently stuck, and I have people who were supposed to catch a flight, but they have missed it,” said one motorist, David Okong’o.
The standoff only de-escalated after a dialogue led by Hon. Lemanken Aramat, the Member of Parliament for Narok East, with local residents at Duka Moja Trading Centre.
Following the negotiations, traffic flow resumed on the highway, though the unrest served as a stark reminder of the tension between local herders and authorities.
Residents of Narok claimed the situation worsened when police attempted to remove the carcasses of the dead sheep from the road, leading to violent resistance from the community, who returned the animals to the highway.
Sankok ole Lemwesi, a local leader, stated, “We are not going to unblock the traffic; the police were paid to dump our 40 sheep, leaving them for hyenas to eat.”
While the area has since returned to calm, the National Police Service issued a stern warning to the public, urging them to refrain from taking the law into their own hands.
Despite the resolution of the immediate crisis, the impact of the day-long protests, particularly on transport and the strained relations between the herders and the police, continues to reverberate throughout the region.
