Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wisley Rotich registered his disappointment on Monday, highlighting that bandits had taken advantage of the first edition of the Gavana awa Raia soccer tournament held on Sunday to loot from Kaben Village.
The bandits suspected to be from Pokot seized the moment during the event held in Elgeyo Marakwet, capitalising on the lax security as locals cheered on their favourite teams.
Regrettably, Governor Rotich shared the tragic outcome of this incursion: two lives were lost, and the bandits managed to escape with a significant number of animals.
“It is unfortunate that the General Service Unit team took this lightly with zero response,” Rotich lamented noting that the delayed response could have been avoided.
While condemning the bandits' exploitation of his initiative aimed at empowering the youth through sports, Rotich disclosed that he had raised the issue of police officers' conduct with Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki.
“He has promised to act on this latest wave of killings perpetrated by some few characters who have been benefitting from banditry,” the Governor stated.
Elgeyo Marakwet, situated in the North Rift Valley region, is one of the counties where a joint task force consisting of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and police personnel has been deployed to combat banditry.
Rotich highlighted that KDF soldiers had eventually responded, albeit late. He mentioned that as of Sunday night, the KDF soldiers successfully neutralized 5 criminals and recovered 31 cows that had been stolen.
In a determined effort to address the persistent problem of banditry, Rotich disclosed that the National Youth Service (NYS) would be deployed to upgrade access roads in the region to ensure fast responses to security incidents.
The assault in Kaben occurred merely a week after Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale revealed that the government had effectively subdued firearm activities in the troubled North Rift region.
Due to the efforts of the multi-agency team deployed by President William Ruto, bandit attacks in North Rift Valley have drastically reduced.
Both Kindiki and Duale affirmed that the communities in the North Rift Valley have successfully reverted to their economic activities following the restoration of peace in the region.
