Baringo banditry: Police appeal for information on mysterious helicopter
Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Maalim Mohamed (second right) is accompanied by Baringo County Police Commander Tom Odero (right) during deployment of 80 National Police Reservists for Baringo South and Baringo North Sub-Counties on March 8, 2022.
What you need to know:
- The locals told the Nation that the helicopter is again spotted after each attack, raising suspicions that it might also be restocking the ammunition the bandits have used.
Detectives have appealed to Baringo residents to provide more information about an alleged mysterious white helicopter said to have been sighted just before bandit attacks.
Locals had reported seeing the aircraft hovering over the notorious Korkoron Hills, which is said to be where attackers hide and regroup. There are fears that powerful individuals might be supplying ammunition to bandits.
But Baringo County Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Joseph Mumira has appealed for more details from locals in order to help with investigations. He said that without this, it will be hard to follow up on the matter given that locals are claiming that they normally see the chopper from afar -- because the area where it frequents is volatile and cannot be accessed.
“As we wait for more information from the villagers, we will try our best to follow up the sensitive matter, no matter how long it takes,” said the county investigations boss, adding that the scanty information given by locals at a recent peace forum had slowed the probe.
“I don’t have any new development...I wish they could come and tell us in confidence about its number plate and the days it was spotted in the area. This would assist us to get the day's log from civil aviation authorities so that we can unravel where it was heading and for what purpose. There are many helicopters that fit the description,” said Mr Mumira.
Criminal hideout
The Korkoron Hills is a hideout for dreaded armed criminals who have been terrorising residents, causing many deaths and displacements in recent months.
They first moved to the area in December last year with thousands of livestock in the guise of looking for water and pasture, but ended up staging attacks and raids against locals, resulting in the mass exodus of people from several villages.
According to a local at the peace meeting, the small white chopper was first spotted in early January, a few weeks after illegal herders -- who they suspected were flushed out by the government from neighbouring Laikipia County -- arrived in the area.
“There is a helicopter that normally passes here and lands at Korkoron Hills where the bandits are grazing. One or two days later, we are attacked by the criminals,” Eric Kibet, a former police reservist, said at the meeting.
“At first we thought it belonged to the police and was carrying out aerial surveys. To our surprise, security officers deployed here denied that it was theirs,” said the local.
Stay alert
He explained that locals had made a habit of staying alert whenever they saw the helicopter, “making inquiries on what direction it came from and where it was heading.
Another local, Mr Benjamin Kangog from Lamaiywe and a former police reservist, claimed that since January, he has seen the white helicopter more than four times, with the latest being on Tuesday morning.
“It seems whoever operates it got wind that the locals were aware of its underhand dealings in the region and it stopped landing, but it hovers over the hill and we suspect it drops something before it leaves. It doesn’t take more than 10 minutes. Immediately after that, we will hear of an attack within the area or in neighbouring villages,” he claimed.
Locals told the Nation that the helicopter is again spotted after each attack, raising suspicions that it might also be restocking the ammunition the bandits have used.
For instance, he said, after the Friday attacks in Kasiela that left two people dead, the helicopter was seen the following day heading towards Korkoron at 6:45 am and left after approximately 10 minutes.
“During an attack, the criminals fight with police for hours without depleting their ammunition, which they use unsparingly, meaning that they have more than enough. Where then do they get a constant supply yet they live in the bushes? Powerful individuals are involved in this and the government must name them if peace is to be attained,” said Mr Kangogo who served as a reservist for three years.
