Govt Deploys Multi-Agency to Forcefully Disarm Kapedo Bandits

The government has deployed a multi-agency team to flush out bandits in Kapedo after several deaths were reported in the area. 

Rift Valley Regional Commissioner, George Natembeya, directed the officers to forcefully disarm the militias. 

"We have given up on dialogue and all other peaceful means. We have reached a point where we shall not turn back. To the militia, you can now hide and run. We shall track you down at our own pace," Natembeya declared on Friday, January 22. 

He disclosed that the law enforcers were targetting several villages that were considered a safe haven for the bandits.

George Natembeya addresses journalists on destruction in the Mau Forest Complex in his office in Nakuru on September 13, 2019.

Daily Nation

The commissioner also warned politicians that they risk arrest for inciting the public. 

"The government is always ready to listen to any grievances. However, some politicians pretend that they are raising concerns yet they are addressing the bandits through a coded language," Natembeya lamented. 

On Wednesday, January 20, Tiaty MP William Kamket joined a section of leaders from Baringo and West Pokot who pleaded with President Uhuru Kenyatta to deescalate the ongoing security operation in the area. 

Majority leader Samuel Poghisio accused the security operators of using excessive force to disarm residents. They warned that extrajudicial killings will be reported in the area. 

Kamket was arrested on Thursday, January 21 and later released after he was accused of incitement. He was also linked to the killings in the town. 

Police conduct an operation in Kapedo in 2019

File