In a heated response to recent remarks made by the Cabinet Secretary for health, Aden Duale, Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. has strongly condemned statements he perceives as placing the value of livestock above human lives.<\/p>\n
The confrontation follows comments attributed to CS Duale regarding the presence of camels from the Garissa region grazing in parts of the Ukambani area. Duale allegedly suggested that those opposing the grazing of camels in these regions would be unable to stop the influx, sparking a significant backlash from local leaders.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a public event in Makueni, Governor Kilonzo Jr. did not mince words, emphasizing that the welfare of Kenyans must always take precedence over livestock.<\/p>\n
“There is no way that camels can be more important than human beings,” Kilonzo Jr. stated firmly. “You can’t kill innocent Kenyans and then claim that your camels are more important than human beings.”<\/p>\n
The Governor further highlighted the procedural issues surrounding the movement of camels into Makueni County, noting that the camel owners had not sought the necessary permissions from the county government. This lack of authorization has led to heightened tensions with local residents whose crops and resources are being depleted.<\/p>\n
This is not the first time CS Duale has crossed paths with regional governors over this issue. His stance on camel grazing has drawn fire from multiple leaders across the Eastern and Coast regions:<\/span><\/p>\n Governor Julius Malombe (Kitui):<\/b> Has frequently clashed with Duale over the influx of herders into Kitui, citing security threats and the killing of local farmers in areas like Mwingi and Tseikuru.<\/p>\n Governor Dhadho Godhana (Tana River):<\/b> Has faced similar friction regarding the management of grazing lands and the movement of livestock across county borders, which has often sparked communal conflict.<\/p>\n Critics argue that Duale\u2019s rhetoric emboldens herders to ignore county regulations, while the CS maintains that all Kenyans have a right to move and seek pasture during periods of climate-induced drought.<\/p>\n The conflict between camel herders and local farmers in Makueni and surrounding counties remains a flashpoint for violence. Kilonzo Jr.\u2019s remarks underscore the growing frustration among local leaders over what they see as a blatant disregard for county laws and the safety of their constituents.<\/p>\n Local residents in the affected areas have expressed fears for their safety following reports of attacks. The Governor called on the national government to prioritize the security of Makueni residents over partisan or business interests related to livestock.<\/p>\n As the debate continues, the focus remains on whether the national government will intervene to mediate between the herders and the host counties to prevent further loss of life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In a heated response to recent remarks made by the Cabinet Secretary for health, Aden Duale, Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. has strongly condemned statements he perceives as placing the value of livestock above human lives. The confrontation follows comments attributed to CS Duale regarding the presence of camels from the Garissa region grazing in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2915,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stateupdate.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-08-152042.jpg?fit=880%2C592&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc68Dd-L0","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2914"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2914\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2916,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2914\/revisions\/2916"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}