Armoured trucks bought by President Uhuru Kenyatta and handed to the Anti-Stock Theft Police (ASTPU) in Baringo have been turned into chicken pens since they have stalled.
It is claimed that the vehicles stalled due to lack of fuel and tires, where the MPs complained about how the trucks were allocated an average of 450 liters per month yet they consume 240 liters traveling to Nakuru to fuel.
“A vehicle allocated to the ASTPU in Chemoe has been grounded for several months for lack of tires,” Baringo North MP William Cheptumo complained.
The vehicles, that were launched in January of 2017, were supposed to be used to improve police service delivery to Kenyans.
Uhuru, then, unveiled 525 vehicles, including 25 armoured personnel carriers, at Uhuru Park in Nairobi, as part of the government's police modernisation programme.
The unveiled vehicles were the third batch of police trucks and equipment acquired through the government’s leasing programme.
When revealing this, the MPs also took advantage to criticize the government disarmament of the National Police Reservist (NPR).
Baringo South MP Charles Kamuren noted that the government had disarmed the NPR who were carrying government weapons and left them at the mercy of bandits who have illegal firearms.
"If indeed there are illegal firearms, the government has the capacity to seize them, why disarm reservists with government guns and leave bandits to roam freely?” questioned Kamuren.
Leaders in Laikipia were also uneasy with the government's disarmament of NPR blaming it for the increased bandit attacks.
