Kenya (KBC) – The government has launched investigations into reports that heavily armed militias from Ethiopia have been sighted in Merti division of Isiolo district.

District Commissioner Waweru Kimani confirmed claims that some 60 members of the {www:Oromo Liberation Front} (OLF) militia from Ethiopia had pitched tent within Nyachise strategic grazing reserve for the last two days.

Kimani, however, assured residents that there was no cause for alarm because appropriate measures have been taken to ensure their safety.

Kimani who is also the chairman of the district security and intelligence committee said a security team had been dispatched to the area to join another one headed by Merti District Officer.

The presence of the suspected militias has created tension among hundreds of herders who now want the government to intervene and have the heavily armed OLF militias removed.

Residents say the militias comprising of 10 women and 50 men who are in their late twenties accessed the remote Merti area after sneaking into the country through Moyale district.

Herders are reportedly leaving Nyachise grazing fields in droves with their livestock for fear of an attack.

Local OCPD Marius Tum said investigations were on into the motive of the militias, how they made their way into the country and also arrest them and confiscate their weapons.

Last week militias from Somalia threatened to invade the country and annex the North Eastern Province, putting security personnel along the borders of Kenya and her neighbours on high alert.