Desolate life of banditry survivors amid Covid-19

The clock ticks minutes past noon as we arrive at the remote Ng’aratuko village in Baringo North subcounty. 

Our 15km drive here on a dirt road off the Loruk-Marigat highway was punctuated with gunshot sounds that bespeak volatility.

The sun is stifling in the semi-arid area. The locals look hungry and weary. We bump into Tugen elders discussing under an acacia tree at Threeways, a remote trading centre.

“Who are you, where are you from and where are you going?” asks elder David Kiplal, 70, in Tugen dialect. He chaired the informal meeting congregated by a number of men and a few women.

The meeting was discussing the persistent insecurity caused by frequent bandit attacks, cattle rustling and the hunger situation.

Kiplal, who was chairing the meeting, stood up to welcome us with a stretch of a hand. One of us hurriedly turned it down, informing him the government has banned the greetings due to the coronavirus.

He withdrew the hand reluctantly, saying he doesn’t understand the disease corona beyond the rumours in the locality.

Furthermore, their free and adjacent sitting arrangement tells a visitor the villagers do not understand anything about social distancing.

The elder directed us to seat on some unoccupied round black stones next to him. Our face masks and hand sanitisers drew surprised glances.

“And what are you people carrying and wearing on your faces?” a resident, Charles Kiptoon, asked.

We deflected and asked if they knew about the pandemic.

“The much we understand is the ban in the country that has locked people in their homes, not allowing them to travel freely like before,” Kiptoon said.

The Star contacted the Kenya Red Cross officials to inquire if they had any plans to visit the survivors.

“We have got no immediate plans of visiting those insecurity-prone areas for Covid-19 sensitisation because we don’t have vehicles and fuel to facilitate our travels,” a Kabarnet town official said.

He said they are unable to visit unless they receive funding from donors to aid their movement. The other humanitarian agencies like World Vision-Kenya have also stayed away

MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

They are among over 800 Tugen families, including children, who were attacked and displaced and their animals stolen by bandits from Tiaty since January.

At least six people have been killed and over 10 injured in the ongoing attacks.

“We were attacked by Pokot bandits,” a survivor, Monica Kabon, said. "Then suddenly, schools were closed because of corona. Hunger is now killing us in the bushes with our children."

Tension is still high as residents fled their homes in the Kagir, Yatya, Chemoe, Barketiew and Kosile villages.

The survivors are currently putting up in congested temporary tents as Internally Displaced Persons in various bushes across 11 villages.

Kabon appealed to the government to consider supplying them with food. “More so, we are appealing for an urgent lasting solution to beef up security,” she said.

She said she is clueless about Covid-19. She has only heard that patients of the disease cough and ooze blood from their noses.

Another resident, Isaac Chelawa, said, “We are in the middle of nowhere. In fact, you are the first people to visit us since coronavirus was announced in Kenya.” 

Chelalwa is nursing a gunshot injury after being shot by bandits. The attack happened on August 31 last year, while he was herding his livestock in a grazing field near Ng’aratuko Primary School.

UNABLE TO GET HELP

Due to insecurity and Covid-19 lockdown, Chelalwa has not been able to travel to the hospital to have the fracture in his right leg attended to.

“I have sold nearly all my animals to combine with people’s contributions to pay over Sh200,000 hospital bills, but I still require more funding to seek further medication,” the survivor said.

He said since they are being displaced from their homes and now residing in the bushes, they cannot access radio and televisions networks.

Chelalwa said they were displaced, no government official, elected leader or humanitarian agency has visited to educate them about Covid-19.

“We wake up daily and operate our lives by the mercy of God,” Chelalwa said.

“I am appealing to the government and well-wishers to come and help take me to the hospital and have the metallic grills in my leg removed so I can walk.”

He said despite the disability, he provides for his family of 10 by selling the remaining herd of livestock.

Fellow survivor Elima Kiptoon, 25, was forced by circumstances to give birth in the bush.

“I was collecting some indigenous wild vegetables in the bush when I suddenly developed fierce labour pains, which left me unconscious. That is the much I can recall,” Kiptoon said.

She couldn’t access free maternity serves at Marigat Subcounty Hospital about 50 km away due to fears of coronavirus and insecurity.

“I also don’t have any cash for my transport to and fro,” she said. 

A witness, Emmy Tonje, said she was walking to their temporary IDP camp in Chepkowel around noon when she found the mother lying helplessly on the ground.

“The naked newborn child was still hanging on the uncut umbilical cord,” Tonje said.

She ran back to summon an elderly woman from the neighbourhood, who hurried to the scene with an improvised knife to cut the umbilical cord to separate the mother and child and save their lives.

NO SECURITY, NO HEALTH

Public Health chief officer Winnie Bore said insecurity and the Covid-19 pandemic have locked out many residents from health facilities.

“I am appealing to our people, despite the fears, to make normal use of our local hospitals to save lives,” Bore said, adding they are making arrangements to reach the survivors and take them to hospital. 

She said the Health department is organising a village-to-village Covid-19 sensitisation to ensure everyone acquires the necessary basic information about the virus.

An IDP, Stella Kimuge, said last week the government asked them to go back to their homes to get food supplies.

“But it is clocking one month now since we were asked to register our names but we haven’t received any donation from any quarter,” Kimuge said.

They have been left out despite numerous anti-corona campaigns and donations being carried out across urban and rural parts of the county.

Another IDP, Paul Kipkechem, said, “Since corona is here with us, then we expected the government to supply us with food, handwashing kits, soaps and sanitisers, but that is not the case here.”

He urged the government to beef up security so people can cultivate their farms, rear their livestock and feed their families peacefully.

“Our lands here are so fertile and have the potential of producing enough foodstuff, but the only problem we have is insecurity,” Kipkechem said.