• President William Ruto has directed all schools in the region must reopen along with others nearborers on January 23.
• Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wesley Rotich says they are working with CS for Interior Kithure Kindiki and top government officers to ensure restoration of security.
Image: MATHEWS NDANYI
The government is carrying out fresh mapping in Kerio Valley to establish areas where military and other security training facilities will be built as part of measures to end banditry.
A team from KDF and police headquarters has visited parts of Baringo, West Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet to locate areas where the security installations will be set up in the next few months.
Newly appointed Rift Valley regional commissioner Dr Abdi Hassan will visit the region to assess the security situation and prepare for the reopening of all schools that had been shut down due to insecurity.
President William Ruto has directed that all schools in the region must reopen along with others on January 23.
Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wesely Rotich says they are working with CS for Interior Kindiki and other top government officers to restore security in the region.
“The county government will give all the necessary support to ensure our people live in safety,” Rotich said.
President William Ruto has said the military and security facilities would be set up in Turkana, Suguta Valley and Kerio Valley to help improve security in the region where banditry has ravaged lives for many decades.
“Security is also about presence and the plan is to occupy all that area so that whenever we have issues we have quick response,” Ruto said during media interviews last Wednesday.
The security installations are expected to be established along borders between counties in the region which have been affected by banditry that has led to the killing of hundreds of residents.
Rotich and Marakwet East MP Bowen Kangogo said the President’s plan was long overdue as it would deal a final blow to banditry.
“Most of the development programmes in Kerio Valley have stalled for many years but we hope to restart the same projects once security is in place,”Rotich said.
CS for Roads Murkomen has indicated that key roads will also be opened up in the region to facilitate security movements and other development initiatives.
Last Tuesday the leaders had angrily called for ruthless action against continuing banditry. Kindiki who was visiting the region also announced further security measures.
The region and 14 counties are affected by cattle rustling and related insecurity. Kindiki said the government would not tolerate banditry as has been the case over the years.
He announced plans to empower chiefs and other security agents working in affected areas.
“We can’t expect a chief to help deal with such serious insecurity issues yet they are empty-handed,” Kindiki said.
Kindiki toured Kerio Valley where tension has been high in Ketut area of Marakwet East subcounty following the recent killing of two girls by bandits who also stole their livestock. It happened on New Year's Day.
The two, a Form 3 student at Kabulwo Secondary School and her younger sister who is a Class 7 pupil at Kabetwa Primary School, were shot dead by bandits as they herding family livestock.
The CS was with Murkomen, Governor Rotich, Kangogo and Senator Aaron Cheruiyot
The CS said the insecurity menace in the region and other counties had undermined development
Kangogo said Ruto’s plan for the region was serious and they were confident that banditry would be wiped out.
“What we have lacked in the past was serious leadership but we can now see the commitment from government, none other than the President who has declared that banditry must come to an end,” Kangogo said.
Kangogo had on Tuesday asked the CS not to be like his predecessors who had visited the region to give empty ultimatums and promises, which did not end the killings.
“We have cried enough. We hope you, our new CS, are not here, to give those ultimatums and promises that do not help. We want action to ensure the bloodshed comes to an end,” Kangogo said.
The MPs also called for disarmament in the region.
(Edited by V. Graham)