Two killed in attack in Chemoi, Baringo county

Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen during a security meeting in Baringo on May 2, 2025./ MINA

Two people were shot and killed in an attack in a village in Baringo North, Baringo County.

Police said the incident happened in Chemoi, Baringo, and that eight people were injured, among them National Police Reservists (NPRs).

It was the latest attack to happen on Saturday amid operations to tame the trend.

The attack occurred a week after bandits killed a woman and injured three others along the Marigat–Tangulbei road.

The incident happened at a time when a fresh vetting process for NPRs was underway in Bartabwa, creating a security vacuum in areas manned by the reservists. 

The government launched the vetting exercise following concerns that some officers had gone rogue

Over the past two years, 25 NPRs from across the Kerio Valley region have been arrested or dismissed for allegedly aiding banditry and cattle rustling, actions that have been blamed for undermining the ongoing security operation in the area.

The attack caused a fierce exchange between Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Baringo North Member of Parliament Joseph Makilap.

Authorities say cases of cattle rustling are on the decline.

A total of 21 people were killed in banditry attacks reported between January and March 2025. This is a decline as compared to those killed in the same period last year.

Murkomen revealed the deceased include a police officer, eight civilians, and 12 suspects as compared to 58 persons who died in the same period in 2024.

“These significant gains are attributed to the concerted efforts of our security officers including the National Police Service, working in close collaboration,” he said.

He said the government is working hard to set aside resources for infrastructure development including schools and to provide our security officers with better equipment and resources to tackle these challenges.

“I urge Kenyans to collaborate with our security officers as we strive to secure our Country. Let us shun all acts of political incitement and revenge. I urge political leaders to stop playing politics with such important national security concerns.”

He said they are motivated by the gains they have made in the first quarter, and we will work hard to safeguard these gains and secure our nation in the rest of the year. 

Murkomen has been leading the operations in the area, vowing to end the menace.

He said cattle rustling in Northern Kenya has over the years become an organised criminal enterprise responsible for deaths, poverty and displacement.

“Its impacts are severe. It deprives pastoral communities of their economic mainstay and aggravates the conditions of poverty in the rangelands, fuelling communal grievances and revenge attacks,” he said.