“We will not relent until all bandits are flushed out” is the message security officers in Baringo have for the outlaws.
Last Thursday five people, including children, were killed and livestock stolen in a dawn attack in Arabal, Baringo South.
Some animals have since been recovered.
Four of those killed in the Thursday attack were students – one was from Kiserian primary, Sokotei primary (two), Sokotei secondary (one) schools.
The fifth victim was a National Police Reservist on routine security patrol.
The children were on their mid-term break and had joined herders when they were killed.
On Wednesday, county police commander Robinson Ndiwa said a sustaimed operation has been launched to recover the livestock, disarm and flush out the rustlers.
“Although we have not yet traced the criminals, we have recovered 22 cows out of the 28 stolen,” he said.
Ndiwa said the place is bushy with rough terrains, making it difficult to reach the livestock thieves.
Tiaty East deputy commissioner Sylvester Barasa said the rustlers might still be hiding in the bushes in Laikipia and Baringo South.
“None of them has stepped his foot here in Tiaty since September last year. I have instructed my chiefs to keep on tracing them,” Barasa said.
thorough operation
After the attack, 100 families fled the volatile Arabal in Baringo South.
The families are temporarily camped at Kiserian, Elbunyaki, Lokumkum, Ng’ambo, Sintaan, Salabani and Long’eywan.
On Tuesday, Ilchamus community spokesperson Amos Olempaka said the government is yet to conduct a thorough security operation to flush out the bandits.
He said some Pokot herders, armed with AK-47 rifles, are still grazing thousands of animals in Ruggus, Ng’elecha, Ramacha and Arabal in Baringo South.
“We thought immediately after the fatal attack, all the Pokot herders would be evicted so they can go back to their Tiaty homeland. Surprisingly, nothing has been done,” Olempaka said. He said it is no longer a cattle rustling and grazing land business, but a move to expand boundaries.
Olempaka urged the IEBC to mark the disputed boundaries bordering Baringo, Laikipia and Turkana.
“The government should deploy and facilitate the NPRs with monetary allowances to beef up security along the volatile areas,” he said
Last week Baringo South MP Charles Kamuren urged Interior CS Fred Matiang’i to weed out the criminals to prevent a “return to the dark days”. “None of them should be spared,” he said.
Residents want peace
Kamuren said residents want peace. “My people demand peace so I appeal to the security department to take charge and flush out the bandits,” he said. Kamuren said a disarmament operation should be carried out.
“My constituency was peaceful. We had succeeded in helping the government resettle the displaced victims of insecurity back to Mukutani,” he said.
The legislator said schools, which were closed down in 2005 had been reopened in January. People were going about their normal activities before the sudden attack, he said.
In September last year, two officers – an NPR and a RDU – were injured in an ambush by suspected armed Pokot bandits in Ramacha village in the subcounty.
They were accompanying the Tugen and Ilchamus residents’ in a bush clearing operation to resettle thousands of people who were displaced by bandits since 2005.
Baringo is inhabited by the Tugen, Pokot and Ilchamus communities.