• Victims of displacement in Kerio Valley are living in makeshift houses in the bush
• The families are in urgent need of foodstuffs, tents, warm clothes and drugs
Image: JOSEPH KANGOGO
Thousands of Kerio Valley residents displaced by banditry are appealing to the President-elect William Ruto to prioritise the fight against persistent insecurity.
The homeless locals dispersed by frequent gunshots include innocent young children. They are living in makeshift polythene- and shrubs-thatched shanties in the bush, fearing for their lives.
“We are anxiously waiting for the installation of the new President, not for development but peace first,” Baringo North Ng’aratuko resident Joshua Chang’wony said on Thursday.
Changwony said at least 100 people have been shot dead, dozens injured and thousands displaced by armed bandits since December last year.
“In fact, my own brother is among those who were injured, so it is my heartfelt appeal to the next government to prioritise ending the animosity of banditry,” he said.
Earlier on, during his political campaigns, Deputy President William Ruto promised to deploy enough security officers to fight and end banditry if elected the next President.
The government has for the last three months been conducting security operations to flush out armed bandits besides imposing a dawn-to-dusk operation before lifting it ahead of the August 9 General Election.
“We are waiting upon our bosses to give us direction if we will resume and carry on with the operation immediately after the election or not,” Baringo County Commissioner Abdirisak Jaldesa said on Monday.
MALNOURISHED KIDS
On Thursday, the Star stumbled on a group of hungry residents, among them sickly and malnourished children, putting up in torn tents in the bush in the remote Chesekem village, Baringo North.
“The weather is currently cold. We even don’t afford fees to take our sick children to the nearest health facility 40km away. We have no option but to persevere,” Bernadine Chesaro said.
The victims are appealing to well-wishers and humanitarian agencies to move with speed to donate foodstuffs, tents, warm clothes and drugs.
So far, an NGO called New Dawn of Hope is struggling to sustain the suffering locals with some food and non-food items.
“I feel like crying when I see the sleeping innocent malnourished children who cannot even wake up on the ground due to hunger-related illnesses,” founder Joan Jemutai said.
She said some residents and children were infected with malaria but they cannot meet the cost of getting to distant hospitals.
“I have decided personally to finance and pitch a simple medical camp, supply the victims periodically with foodstuff and clothes, but I need partners to support my efforts,” Jemutai said.
A TV set mounted under a tree relayed the announcement of the presidential results. Now the poor locals are waiting for the President-elect to walk the talk.