Matiang'i Implicates Police in School Bus Shooting

Former Interior CS Fred Matiang'i addressing the press at Tot Police Station on Wednesday, June 8, 2022.
Former Interior CS Fred Matiang'i addressing the press at Tot Police Station on Wednesday, June 8, 2022.
File

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i on Wednesday, June 8, accused some police of working with bandits and aiding the deadly conflict in Kerio valley.

In a meeting with families that lost three children in the area's shooting incident, the CS accused some Police officers of abetting cattle rustling and banditry in the larger North Rift region.

Matiang'i further noted that the shooting of school buses and the killing of children in Marakwet defied traditional fighting tenets and reinforced evidence that the conflict had little to do with cultural feuds.

“I have met with the mothers and family members of the children who were killed weeks ago. There is nothing more heart-wrenching than going through the experience. What do you tell a mother who has lost a child in such a manner,” stated the CS.

Interior CS Fred Matiang'i addresses a meeting with KEPSA and the NDICCC on Monday, May 22, 2022. .jpg
Interior CS Fred Matiang'i addresses a meeting with KEPSA and the NDICCC on Monday, May 23, 2022.
Interior Ministry

As a result, the CS directed the overhaul of some security teams in a bid to end frequent attacks.

In his remarks, Matiang'i noted that intelligence reports had implicated security officers in the frequent attacks experienced in Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo and West Pokot counties.

In a stern warning, he pointed out that a review of the current deployment following the declaration last week of a 30-day curfew in Elgeyo Marakwet County will also be undertaken and the command of the operation placed under high-ranking security officers.

“We have today agreed to undertake the replacement of the security team leaders and the reorganization of our structure.

"We have tried all manner of things to resolve this problem before and we are determined to get it right this time,” he added.

The curfew will, therefore, be imposed alongside a disarmament operation targeting illegal guns blamed for perpetuating deadly and cyclic violence that has claimed many lives over the years.

In a separate meeting with the area's chiefs, Matiang'i directed an immediate assessment of the competence and suitability of the entire team arguing that many of them were compromised by political and ethnic affiliations.

Towards the end of May, three children and a herder were shot dead in the Kapkoros area of the Kerio Valley after they were ambushed by bandits. The children were playing in a nearby area.

Tot High School bus that was attacked by bandits on Thursday, February 17, 2022.
Tot High School bus that was attacked by bandits on Thursday, February 17, 2022.
Courtesy
  • . . . . . . .