Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki on Wednesday, April 12, revealed that a top officer inside Iten County Referral Hospital ordered cops not to open fire on the bandits to avoid a bloodbath.
While appearing before Parliament, Kindiki noted that the decision provided a leeway for the bandits to rescue their colleague from the hospital without any fatality.
He added that the suspect involved in the incident could not explain to officers why he had gunshot wounds on his body.
"Regarding the incident at Iten hospital, the person involved is a suspected bandit because he had bullet wounds and could not explain where he was shot and he came to look for treatment.
"We believe that those who came to rescue him were criminals because they came through the fence to rescue one of their own," he noted.
"The reason why that happened in presence of police officers on-site at that time was the determination of the commanding officer on site that a shootout inside that facility would have caused fatalities on patients and that gave leeway for the rescue operation to succeed.
"This person has been on police radar even before the attack. We are on him and we have some leads. We believe we shall arrest him as soon as possible," he stated.
While underscoring the situation of banditry in the North Rift, the Interior CS affirmed the government's commitment to spend Ksh20 billion to modernise their weapons.
"In three months, the government will acquire three gunships helicopters, and surveillance drones to stop relying on the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF)," he added.
The rescue operation involved a gang of 10 armed men who stormed Iten Hospital on Monday night, April 10, and rescue their colleague who was under heavy police protection.
None of the police officers nor the armed men sustained any injury during the raid.
