Suspected bandits carried out a fatal attack in the Lomelo region in Turkana East Sub County on Monday, February 6.
This was a few hours after Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki had listed his ‘100-Day’ achievements at the helm of the security docket.
Among the achievements the CS listed was the government’s success in containing banditry attacks and cattle rustling.
During the attack, four people were left dead with two others sustaining severe injuries in what was suspected to be an attack by bandits from Tiaty, Baringo County.
While confirming the incident, Turkana East Sub County Commissioner Said Safu revealed that the bandits had laid ambush on residents who taking livestock for grazing.
After a shootout, the bandits left with an unknown number of livestock.
Safu further revealed that the government’s Rapid Deployment Unit officers were unable to recover the livestock as the bandits disappeared into poor terrain.
Kindiki, while listing his achievements announced that security agencies were recovering most of the livestock stolen by bandits.
"I wish to announce that 60 per cent of all livestock stolen in cattle rustling-prone counties have been recovered by our security officers," the CS had earlier announced.
In another measure to contain bandits and cattle rustling, Kindiki announced that the Interior Ministry would be deploying 6,000 police officers to security hotspot areas.
"The officers have joined the National Police Service in the last 100 days as well as 3000 Kenya Prison Service officers. They will immediately be deployed to security hotspots to buttress the security of our people and their property," the CS directed.
The banditry attack in Turkana East was not the first time the bandits had openly shown defiance of the government’s security measures to contain them.
On January 28, bandits lit fires a short distance from where Kindiki was addressing a public baraza in Tiaty.
