Two killed, one injured as bloodcurdling bandits steal unknown number of livestock

One person was on Sunday, March 19 afternoon shot dead and his brother was seriously injured when suspected bandits attacked them in Ngaratuko area of Baringo North Constituency.

The two brothers were looking for missing livestock in the area when the bandits who were hiding opened fire on them. The injured was rushed to Baringo County Referral Hospital.

The incident happens despite the heavy presence of police and Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers who are undertaking an operation to flush out bandits.

Residents in the area held a demonstration over the rampant attacks, calling for the resignation of Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof. Kithure Kindiki who they say is speaking tough as bandits continue to wreak havoc.

Another person killed

Elsewhere in Takaiywa village at the border of West Pokot and Turkana Counties, a person manning a local borehole was shot dead when bandits struck the area on Sunday, March 19.

The man, identified as Kevin - a native of Trans Nzoia County, was shot dead by the bandits who also made away with hundreds of livestock.

Confirming the incident, Lopet Location Chief Isaac Lomwai said, "we had a peace meeting with more than 50 people from Turkana County and later the man was killed."

Kacheliba MP Titus Lotee has condemned the incident citing that the bandit situation was now getting out of hand. “They are provoking people to fight,” he said.

The lawmaker castigated the Government for allowing residents to be pushed away from their ancestral land without taking any action.

“This is pure incitement. Banditry happens in bushes but this is a cosmopolitan area where there is gold in Kiwawa ward. Kiwawa ward has no trouble like Kasei ward and others. They are creating animosity for people to fight.

"Residents here are after mining gold. We don’t know what the security team is doing in the area. We have talked to the Independent Police Oversight Authority [IPOA] because they want to make Pokots poor and put them in a state of desperation. We need respect as Pokots,” he said.