Political leaders who finance and arm bandits in Kerio Valley will soon be arrested, Rift Valley regional commissioner George Natembea has said.
He said some of the people involved in financing bandits and feeding them are well known.
“Some of them are masquerading as leaders yet they are criminals. They should not fool themselves that they can engage in crime underground and think that because they are elected leaders they will not be known," Natembea said.
He said banditry has caused too much suffering to residents of the region. He said the perpetrators' days are numbered.
“We will arrest them publicly and show the world who such leaders are. We will not allow them to aid bandits to terrorise people. Even if they are elected leaders we will deal with them as bandits or criminals," Natembea said.
He spoke when he toured Elgeyo Marakwet for a meeting with county leaders and security chiefs on how to tackle runaway banditry in Kerio Valley, especially along the border between Marakwet and West Pokot County.
County leaders present included Deputy Governor Wisley Kiptoo.
Natembea blamed chiefs in Marakwet East for the increased cases of banditry because they were not performing their work effectively.
“Chiefs must know their areas. It’s not possible that they know all women who get impregnated in the villages but fail to know bandits roaming in the same villages," he said.
He told the chiefs to wake up from their slumber and help the government to end banditry once and for all. “Time for bandits to joke around with the government by terrorising residents is over. We won't give them breathing space," Natembea said.
He said it is not proper for some individuals to give residents sleepless nights. He said they hide in caves in Kerio Valley where they sometimes ambush and kill security officers.
“We will even bomb the caves to ensure that banditry is a thing of the past in this region," said Natembea.
He said the government had deployed adequate security in the region and would work with the county leadership to deal with the criminals.
Natembea said while other parts of the country are developing in some areas of Kerio Valley like Tiaty residents are still leaving in the stone age ‘Zinjanthropus era’.
Deputy Governor Kiptoo said banditry has delayed most development activities in Kerio Valley. He said it is time the government takes decisive action to wipe out cattle rustling which is a primitive practice.
(Edited by P. Wanambisi)
