Nadome massacre: Horrors of walking through the valley of death

Residents of Nadome village in Baringo County salvage some of the remaining items after their village was attacked by raiders. (Photo: Boniface Thuku/Standard)

The repulsive stench of death hits one from far away. But it is only when you get closer that you discover the full enormity of the brutality that took place there. It’s a scene straight from hell.

There is a body here, another there and as far as the eye can see. In fact, bodies are strewn over a five-kilometre stretch, some lying between the huge black volcanic rocks.

There are bodies of men and women; grotesque, bloated, human bodies. Lifeless bodies that can’t feel the intensity of the scorching sun, or even the buzz of the armies of flies that appear to have gathered for an instant feast in the now deserted Nadome village in East Pokot. This is atrocity at its best.

Walking around the ‘horror-scape’, we come across the body of a woman, her child - a toddler strapped with a shuka onto her back - also dead. Apparently, after felling the hapless woman, the heartless warriors went for the throat of the baby, slit it open and separated the tiny body from its even tinier head. It is hard for me to hold back tears.

Skulls shattered

A few metres from the horror scene is a small hut made of sticks. Inside are bodies of two children - aged about four and nine - their skulls shattered by unforgiving bullets.

In the sweltering heat, blood dries fast and bodies decompose even faster. Journalists and Kenya Red Cross officials move from one body to another marking them. There are no vehicles to carry the bodies to mortuaries and, shockingly, the Government is yet to descend to the valley of death.

Journalists and Kenya Red Cross officials counted at least 54 decomposing bodies in the village that was deserted following the attack by suspected Turkana men.

The village is full of rivulets of blood, now long dried, and spent bullet cartridges.

As we moved to Katitany - another battlefield – there were more bodies, mostly of male adults, strewn all over. According to locals, this was one of the battlefields where Pokot gunmen were overpowered – and slaughtered by the Turkana attackers during the well-organised raid.

Villagers said the raiders escaped with more than 3,000 goats towards Lomelo in Turkana East. Carcasses of livestock caught in the crossfire dotted the village.

After the Monday night raid, villagers told journalists that on Tuesday, hundreds of Pokot morans armed themselves and pursued the Turkana attackers to the boundary, where they cornered them.

Women and children who were left behind on Tuesday gathered the remaining livestock and drove them to safer grounds near Silale hills, an area that is under the Pokot.

Strangely, more than 48 hours after the attack, no security personnel were on the ground despite the heavy presence of military personnel at Kapedo trading centre and thousands of police officers in Nginyang.

According to residents, more than 400 heavily armed bandits formed a human ring around villages at around 4am on Monday, spraying homes with bullets and indiscriminately killing women, children and men.

Another four people were reportedly killed at Solar village near Kasarani along the Kapedo-Lomelo road on the same day, after a fight broke out between members of the two warring communities.

Naudo location Chief David Tarube said three women and seven children were shot dead during the attack and several men injured while trying to repulse the heavily armed raiders suspected to have come from Turkana East sub-county.

“In the process, 42 Turkana morans lost their lives at Kutitany River as the Pokots engaged the raiders in a fierce gun-battle that lasted until 6p.m.,” he said.

The bodies were still at the scene and wild animals were seen eating some of them.

Nine Pokot warriors who took part in the battle sustained gunshot wounds. Kenya Red Cross officials rushed them to various hospitals in Baringo, Nakuru and Eldoret town.

Intelligence reports from Baringo County indicate more than 100 people were killed in the attacks.

Sources familiar with the investigation said 112 casualties from both Turkana and Pokot communities were counted along the valley stretching across 12 villages. This information, according to him, was relayed to head of NIS Major General Phillip Kameru on Tuesday.

“The Government is not interested in giving the facts as they are, a warning has already been circulated to all NIS officers in the county and state officials not to reveal any information apart from what media reports,” said the officer who is not allowed to speak to the media.

According to the officer, the Government feels releasing more damning information could injure the country’s reputation at a time US President Barack Obama is expected in the country.

But while the Government worries about the image of the country, families that have lost their loved ones have been crushed by the magnitude of the tragedy. A man only identified as Narengei lost his wife and four children, while his neighbour had his two wives and children shot dead.

Another lost a child in the unfortunate incident that has made survivors to flee more than 18km away from their homes. Villages that were attacked during the night of death include Kalpat, Acham, Koghturo, Kangolio, Chepisia, Chongor, Lonangii, Loreng, Napuu, Sukut, Popon and Karuwon all in Silale ward, Tiaty sub-county. A survivor, Chomoreng Mudiango, 36, suffered head injuries after a bullet hit his head, as he battled with the attackers outside his compound to save his children and livestock.

“I heard the first gunshot but before I could respond, the sounds of deafening firepower engulfed the entire Manyatta as the raiders fired indiscriminately. I retreated a bit and the bullet hit me on the left side of my head,” he said.

Mudiango witnessed five of his neighbours being killed on the spot; three women and two children.

Not assured of their security, more than 700 residents have fled their homes.

Silale Ward Representative Nelson Lotela said those targeted in the valley were herders who migrated to the area from Nginyang and Tangulbei divisions in search of pasture after experiencing a prolonged drought.

Mr Lotela wondered why the raiders beheaded innocent children and stabbed others dead, if their intention was only to steal cattle.

“Several people cannot be accounted for, children and women escaped into the valleys and caves and have not been traced for the last two days,” he added.

Lotela wondered why the Government has taken long to respond, even after County Commissioner Peter Okwanyo was informed about the attack on Monday.

However, the exact number of those killed from the Turkana side remained scanty, with some putting the figure at 40.

When contacted, Mr Okwanyo said he was aware of the attack, but could not confirm the number of casualties.

“Yes, it’s true the incident took place and several people lost their lives. However, as you know the area under attack has a challenging terrain, but security officers are headed to the ground for more facts,” said Okwanyo.

As the County Commissioner spoke, one of the survivors of the attack, Todongor Sapan, was set to undergo surgery at the Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital in Nakuru.

Sapan escaped with a bullet lodged in his buttocks. He walked more than 10km while bleeding heavily. Before he was shot, he had evacuated his family and returned to battle the attackers. He was overpowered and his more than 100 goats driven away.

“Since Monday I have been descending and ascending many valleys with the help of two of my friends as we tried to access the nearest centre for assistance,” said Sapan.

In February, the area chief said a similar attack occurred and 2,000 head of cattle were stolen, one person was killed and three seriously injured.

Women and children could be spotted hiding in bushes and amid rocks after fleeing the Monday attacks.