Kenya: Prime suspect in British rancher death arrested

By Magdalene Mukami

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - Kenyan police have arrested a prime suspect in the killing of a British owner of a safari ranch, according to a police official Monday.

South African-born Tristan Voorspuy was killed earlier this month while inspecting lodges on the Sosian ranch in Laikipia county.

His body was discovered March 5 when he did not return from a horseback inspection of the property following reports of an arson attack on one of the lodges.

A local senior police officer told Anadolu Agency on Monday that a manhunt launched in search of three individuals accused of carrying arms and illegally grazing livestock at Voorspuy’s ranch had yielded results.

“Since the day that Mr. Tristan was killed we have been hunting down the murderers, we have arrested a suspect whom we strongly believe was involved in the murder of the rancher,” the officer said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

“So far we have got information from him that we are using to try and get hold of the two other pastoralists who are still at large.”

He added that the suspect will be arraigned later Monday and charged with murder.

After the killing, police arrested more than 300 pastoralists in Laikipia and charged them with trespassing.

Voorspuy was laid to rest at his ranch Saturday.

Pastoral clans in northern Kenya have in the past been willing to kill over grazing land and a recent drought has heightened the violence.

So far this year, more than 30 people have been killed in inter-clan feuds linked to grazing lands in the region.

Many pastoralists see the large tracts of land inhabited by white ranchers as being their ancestral property.

The drought across east Africa has left as many as 3 million people in Kenya facing starvation, leading to further conflict between the cattle herders, ranchers and police as they seek food for their animals.