A week has passed since the army killed Wycliffe Komol Matwakei, the 37-year-old leader of the Sabaot Land Defence Forces (SLDF) militia, who is accused of killing 500 people.

Since then, droves of militia members, who Matwakei claimed numbered 4,000, have surrendered with many protesting that they were forced to join the group.

Some claimed that members of their families were killed for declining to join the rag-tag militia.

And, instead of seeing their relatives wiped out, they decided to join the group to stop the killings.

They claimed they had contemplated killing the commander before the army got hold of him "but Matwakei was well guarded."

When the Sunday Nation interviewed Matwakei for the first time in December 2006, reporters were led around by his foot soldiers for about three hours before he emerged from the bush and gave a brief statement.

He had accused the then area MP John Serut of interfering with land allocation at the controversial Chebyuk settlement scheme.

Martin Juma Siyoi, 22, said four members of his family -- his father and three brothers - were killed by the militia because he had refused to join the group.

He said the four were killed to scare him, and he had to save his mother and the remaining family members by joining the group.

"I joined the group in January, and I witnessed the indiscriminate killing of people as we went round the district," Siyoi said.

At times, he said, the group would run short of food in the bush and feed on human flesh.

"I had never imagined that I would feed on human flesh in my life," he said.

When the Sunday Nation interviewed him at Kapkoto military camp, he said he had not communicated with his relatives during the two-month period and did not know where his mother was.

Kelvin Geoffrey Chepkurui, 24, said he was accosted at Kaptaboi village by a group led by Matwakei and told to report to their base or face death.

He said Matwakei told him he had to join efforts to defend the land from foreigners.

Trouble for Siyoi, Chepkurui and other youths started in January 2006 when the government announced plans to settle squatters in Phase III of the controversial Chebyuk settlement scheme.

The State carried out vetting in February but only 1,732 of the 7,000 who had applied for the 5,000-acre farm were considered for the 2.5-acre parcels of land.

Title deeds

A dissatisfied group, including Matwakei, demanded issuance of title deeds to those who had settled in Chepkurkur and Korng'otony areas of Kopsiro.

This group urged potential beneficiaries not to register for the programme.

After the government announced the 1,732 beneficiaries in June 2006, Matwakei and his group said they would use arms to prevent the settlement.

The group accused politicians of interfering in the land allocation.

Western Provincial Commissioner Abdul Mwasera said that about 71 SLDF suspects had so far surrendered. He said 10 of them had given up since the death of Matwakei on May 16.

"Many of them are surrendering, and I am calling on more to do so," he said.

Mr Mwasera urged area residents to continue giving information to ensure that the group does not rise again.