Recent violence in Mwingi, Kenya, has left families grieving and disrupted ordinary life, shifting the community from peace to fear and uncertainty.

The effects are visible in the area. Farm work has declined, small businesses are slowing, and daily routines now proceed with caution. For many families, the disruption remains significant. Village conversations often return to recent events, as people seek to understand what is happening.

On April 25, seven people were brutally shot dead, including one woman, while working on their farms in Kwa Kamari. This came just days after five others were killed in a similar attack the previous week. On May 27, two more people lost their lives, including a 14-year-old boy. In total, 13 lives have been taken in a short span of time, with homes burned and property destroyed.

“So much blood has been innocently shed,” said Kasolo, a resident in Nguni. “We bury people, then we wait in fear, then it happens again. That is what is painful.”

In some farming areas, activity has reduced significantly as people weigh safety against survival. Others now move in groups or limit how far they go from home.

“You cannot just go to your farm like before, and at the same time you need food and livelihood,” said David Musyoka, an elderly farmer from Kwa Kamari.

The rising anxiety eventually spilled into public action when residents blocked sections of the Mwingi–Garissa road, disrupting movement as frustration reached a breaking point.

“We are not trying to fight anyone,” one demonstrator said. “We are trying to be heard. People are tired of losing their loved ones.”

Community members point to long-standing tensions over farmland and grazing routes as a source of recurring attacks, leaving many villages feeling increasingly exposed. As the violence persists, some families have begun fleeing their homes in search of safety, abandoning farms and livelihoods in the process.

“It’s like the government is lying to us,” said Peter Mwinzi, a resident of Nguni. “We fled to the bushes for safety, but they told us to go back home and promised security. Then shortly afterward, seven were killed. How do you want us to stay in our homes?”

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