Contingents of security agencies were Saturday dispatched to Baringo to hunt down bandits who shot and killed a senior police officer in Mochongoi area in an ambush.
The teams which comprise those from the General Service Unit and the Special Forces also have instructions to recover a rifle that was stolen from from Inspector Wycliffe Nyongesa.
This comes ahead of a planned operation on the region to root out the gang behind a spate of attacks that have left tens of people dead and many others displaced.
Rift Valley head of police Tom Odero said they are determined to get the gang and recover the weapon with about 60 bullets.
Nyongesa was Friday killed as he led his juniors for a patrol in the area at about 6pm.
Three other officers were shot and wounded in the ambush and later taken to hospital.
The officer's body was picked from the scene long after the incident. The ambush happened in Kapkechir Ridge.
Nyongesa’s colleagues described him as a hard working and dedicated officer who had risen through the ranks to be a commander of the team he was leading in the bandit-prone region.
The area has remained flashpoint for long as authorities battle bandits who roam the area.
Up to five platoons have been deployed in the area to tame the cattle rustling practice that has left many dead and others wounded.
A major operation is planned in the area amid concerns that the bandits are being armed.
The government plans to declare Pokot warriors an outlawed group.
The group is suspected to be behind the attacks and the plans for the declaration have been rolled out, with a draft being circulated among concerned groups.
“The recommended categorisation will allow for more forceful interventions against the group,” Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i said.
(edited by Amol Awuor)
