The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has launched a manhunt for rogue police officers suspected of facilitating bandits in the troubled Laikipia area.
Rift Valley Regional Commissioner, George Natembeya, on Thursday, November 11, announced that the investigation agency was trailing the officers who were accused of selling ammunition and firearm to the militia.
The weapons were believed to have been ambushed in recent attacks on security officers manning the region. On Wednesday, November 10, seven Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officers were airlifted to Nairobi for specialised treatment after they were ambushed at work.
Two KDF and two General Service Unit (GSU) officers died raising the total number of deaths of security officers to over 20.
“There is an officer authorised to keep a register of spent cartridges. It is difficult for a civilian to lay hands on the cartridges unless they are aided by rogue officers.
“This is one part of the series of investigations being done by the DCI. We already have a preliminary report and have a hint of who they may be. We will, however, wait for a more conclusive report,” Natembeya stated.
The accused officers were further alleged to be leaking crucial security details such as patrol schedules and quorum of the officers deployed to restore security and peace in the area.
Natembeya alleged that police were ambushed at a fake roadblock in Laikipia after bandits disguised themselves as their colleagues.
The operation to flush out bandits may be shut down in a month, with the Regional Commissioner noting tremendous improvement in restoring peace in the region.
Natembeya noted that they had carried out successive exercises in Kapedo, Baringo, West Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet.
“Sometimes the bandits are on a cattle rustling mission, sometimes revenge and death. Nonetheless, we curbed their operations,” he underlined police efforts in flushing out bandits.
In September 2021, an officer at the General Service Unit (GSU) Training School in Embakasi, Nairobi was apprehended and accused of selling weapons to gangs.
DCI officers raided his house and recovered 2,040 rounds of ammunition believed to have been smuggled from a garage located along the Eastern Bypass in Nairobi. The weapons were to be ferried to Isiolo, Marsabit and Laikipia.
As the sleuths attached to the case seek to solve this syndicate puzzle, police are also facing the uncertainty of shielding their stations from being raided by bandits. In the last few months, nearly five police stations were ambushed and weapons were stolen.
In one of the police stations in the troubled Laikipia area, two officers were blamed for allowing the militia to access the armoury which also turned out to be a policeman’s house.
