Nairobi - Clashes between rival clans near the Somali border have killed 21 Kenyans so far this year in a struggle over water and grazing land, police said on Tuesday.
There may also be a political element in the violence in drought-prone Mandera district, which saw nine people killed on January 2 and 12 on January 9, police spokesperson Jaspher Ombati said.
"We have two clans competing for water, pasture and grazing land," he said, adding the dead were ethnic Somalis of Kenyan nationality. Kenyan has a large ethnic Somali community based in its northeastern province, among Kenya's poorest regions, and in the capital Nairobi.
"Some politicians were alleged to have made statements which hinge on incitement. This is an angle that cannot be ignored," Ombati added without elaborating.
The Kenya Red Cross said it had sent a team to the area offering first aid and relief supplies.