- Kindiki says the joint police and military operation in North Rift will continue indefinitely.
- The CS announced that the police reservists will now be managed by the national government.
Image: COURTESY
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki has extended the crackdown against bandits in six Rift Valley counties for 30 days.
Kindiki says the joint police and military operation in North Rift will continue indefinitely and will only end when the crime levels in the region reduce.
The CS had declared the bandit-prone areas of the Rift Valley a disturbed zone and operation area on March 12.
The order also includes a curfew in the affected regions.
"The orders I issued on March 12, 2023 declaring parts of the six counties of North Rift Valley disturbed and dangerous are hereby extended by another 30 days. Don't ask me when the operation will end. It will end when all the bandits and armed criminals are completely dealt with," he said on Wednesday when he toured the zones to assess the operations.
And to boost the morale of the officers involved in the operation, the CS announced that the police reservists will now be managed by the national government.
They will be given formal uniform, armed, enrolled on NHIF medical cover and listed for monthly stipend.
Observers opine that the fact that the national government had neglected the reservists was a weak link as it opened an avenue for possible collaboration with bandits.
"The government appreciates the pivotal role played by the National Police Reservists. They are a key partner in combating criminals. The Government will provide them with NHIF cover, uniforms and equipment to facilitate them in service delivery," he said.
An assertive Kindiki said that the banditry menace will end under his watch and that the operation was bearing fruits.
"The choice is simple: armed criminals or Kenya, and there is no way we can be defeated by bandits. We have enough security officers, skills, expertise, and equipment to deal with the criminals," he said.
In terms of progress so far, the CS said that the officers continue to flush out the bandits and recover stolen cattle.
Three days ago, the Naibor ASTU camp successfully recovered all the 75 cows that had been stolen from Enasoit ranch.
"Our officers from the National Police Service and Kenya Defence Forces spearheading the operation are working seamlessly to ensure this operation succeeds," he said.
"The recovery of 75 heads of cattle this week is the kind of success stories we want to hear. We must defeat the bandits who, for a long time, have held our people hostage and made their lives difficult."
The CS says that his firm stance was informed by the fact that "it is 21st Century, [and] we cannot have a small minority of criminals terrorizing thousands of residents and even blocking key development projects such as roads."
Kindiki also ordered that the operation focuses on Mukogodo forest where some suspects were allegedly holed up armed.
"There are criminals still holed up at Mukogodo forest. We will flush them out at all costs. That is a government forest, and we cannot surrender it to bandits who are using it as their hideout."