At least seven people have been killed in Baringo County over the past 48 hours during the ongoing bandit attacks.
Four people were killed on Friday at Kasiela area, two on Saturday in Sinoni area. A middle-aged man was also attacked, killed and his herd of cattle stolen by the assailants causing havoc in the region.
For months, tens of lives have been lost as bandits run the show in the troubled area, and government efforts to contain the situation not bearing much. Hundreds of people have also been displaced with learning in some school badly disrupted.
The series of attacks occurred barely a day after Rift Valley Regional Commissioner, Mohamed Maalim, held a peace meeting in Loruk, Baringo North on Thursday. Addressing leaders from Baringo County Maalim confirmed that the government had identified and profiled the criminals.
“We have pleaded with the criminals several times to surrender the illegal firearms but none headed to the call. We will carry out forceful disarmament. We will do our work as the Government,” stated Maalim.
The horror weekend has raised public uproar with Baringo becoming the number one trending topic on Twitter as netizens challenged the government to take decisive action.
A protest march has been organised on Wednesday, March 9, where organisers plan to walk to State House as part of the measures to push the national government to restore peace in the troubled county.
Earlier in February, the government, through the Ministry of Interior, led by CS Fred Matiang'i launched an operation to flush out the bandits and mop up illegal firearms.
Matiang’i further ordered for recruitment of additional National Police Reservists and assured that aerial surveillance was to be enhanced in the area to keep the attackers at bay.
Baringo North MP, William Cheptumo earlier expressed his dissatisfaction with how the government has handled the issue of constant attacks in the area.
Speaking during a security meeting in Baringo, Cheptumo regretted that the government was not committed to ending insecurity in the region since no concrete action had been taken against previously identified criminals.
“That makes me feel the government is not interested in dealing with the issue,” he lamented.
He further added that the banditry was more about business and not centered around ethnicity as previously insinuated by a section of leaders.
In January 2021, the government began a disarmament operation after the killing of at least 10 people in Kapedo. Among those killed were General Service Unit (GSU) operation commissioner Emadau Tebakol, Chief Inspector Moses Lekariab and Constable Benson Kaburu.
The operation lasted eight weeks and was halted on March 23, 2021 as local leaders pleaded with the government to allow them to hold peace campaigns in the region.
