- The President was briefed on the security situation in the North Rift by Interior and Administration of National Government officials.
- Turkana, Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot counties have faced similar problems in the past, but the situation in Baringo appears to be taking a larger scale.
President William Ruto Saturday met top security officials at his private home in Kilgoris to discuss the escalating security challenges in the North Rift amid joint operations.
Ruto said that newly acquired equipment will help officers to tame the attacks, especially in parts of Baringo county, which is the worst affected.
“Recent incidents of cattle rustling and banditry are being handled with new additional measures. We are determined to restore peace in the North Rift and all other parts of the country that have witnessed disturbance of peace,” he said.
The President was briefed on the security situation in the North Rift by Interior and Administration of National Government officials.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kindiki Kithure, Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome and his two deputies, Douglas Kanja and Noor Gabow, were present at the meeting with Ruto.
Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo and Rift Valley heads of security were also in attendance.
The attacks and killings in Baringo County are linked to a scramble for land believed to contain valuable minerals. Residents have been displaced from the two worst-affected wards in the county.
Turkana, Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot counties have faced similar problems in the past, but the situation in Baringo appears to be taking a larger scale.
The meeting by the president and top security chiefs came as a police officer killed in Loruk on March 19 was buried in Nakuru because of fear of another attack.
Officials said the meeting aimed to tackle the persistent violence perpetrated by bandits in the North Rift.
The situation in the region has continued to deteriorate in the recent past despite the presence of multi-agency security teams, with several people killed by bandits and others displaced.
The latest incident happened on Thursday in Baringo, where a villager aged 20 was killed and a senior police officer shot and wounded.
Local leaders said over 70 people have been killed in separate attacks by the bandits in recent months in the area.
Last week, Kindiki commissioned the first batch of modern security equipment procured as part of a multi-billion military weapons modernisation programme.
The items included Armoured Personnel Carriers, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles and Armoured Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.
The government launched Operation Maliza Uhalifu in the North Rift in February 2023 following a spate of violent activity by the bandits.
The operation is led by police forces and supported by the military and National Police Reservists who operate as supplementary forces within their communities.