Following an attack at Iten County Referral Hospital by 10 gunmen on Monday, April 11, Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wisley Rotich called on the government to deploy Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit (CIPU) to guard the hospital.
In a statement on Tuesday, April 11, the governor stated that the hospital staff and patients were traumatised and feared for their lives.
Owing to that, he noted that security had been heightened at the institution to ensure that it had records of every person who entered the hospital’s environs.
“Even as we let police conclude their investigations over the matter, the bold move by the gunmen to the extent of neutralising security officers shows that we are insecure.
“On this note, we have requested for police officers drawn from CIPU to guard the facility on a 24-hour basis,” Rotich stated.
Among the new regulations he demanded had to be put in place by Iten County Referral Hospital (ICRH) included the installation of CCTV cameras.
According to the governor, operations at the hospital continued normally.
“All visitors will be required to deposit their Identification documents at the gate and fast-track the CCTV installation.
“I would like to assure everyone that operations at the hospital are normal,” he noted.
The 10 bandits armed with AK47 rifles stormed the Iten County Referral Hospital at midnight and rescued their accomplice who was nursing gunshot wounds in the facility.
Among the contingent guarding him were officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
"10 police officers drawn from DCI Keiyo North and Iten Police Station visited the said facility. Four police officers went to the ward to secure the discharge while six others manned the main hospital gate," a police report released on April 10 read in part.
Keiyo North DCI launched a manhunt to fish out the daring bandits from their hideouts. Officers handling the case have also been put under investigation.
