Two people, including a bandit, were killed and a police officer was seriously injured in a fierce shootout between assailants and security officers in Kosile, Baringo North, Baringo County.
An unknown number of livestock were driven away by raiders in the Wednesday incident.
An unknown number of armed criminals descended on several villages, including Kosile, Ng’aratuko, Kagir Kipchemon and Kiptoris, and shot at locals before driving away the animals towards Chemachekwa, on the border of Baringo North and Tiaty West sub-counties.
Tension is high in the area, with locals fleeing border villages, fearing more attacks from the armed bandits, who were said to be still hiding in the bush.
The deaths bring to 36 the number of people killed by criminals in Baringo County since the beginning of the year. Several others are nursing gunshot injuries.
Confirming the incident, Baringo North sub-county Police Commander Fredrick Odinga said the police officer, from the Kagir police camp, was rushed to a Nakuru hospital.
“The attack happened in the morning after bandits suspected to be from the neighbouring Tiaty East descended on several villages and drove away an unknown number of livestock after killing a local. During the shootout, a raider was also killed. We are still pursuing the attackers [to] recover the stolen animals,” said Mr Odinga.
The incident happened barely two weeks after two people were gunned down and another seriously wounded by armed criminals suspected to have come from Tiaty sub-county.
Dozens of attackers descended on the village and surrounded the adjacent Chemorong’ion and Arabal villages, before striking in Chebinyiny, where fleeing locals had sought refuge in February. They fired several shots at homesteads before driving away an unknown number of livestock.
Locals said that by the time the gunfire went silent two hours later, the animals had been driven towards the notorious Ramacha hills.
One resident said the dawn attack prompted locals, most of whom were still sleeping, to scamper for safety with their children amid a hail of bullets.
Locals have repeatedly accused the government of being lenient on the armed criminals, with hundreds said to have occupied deserted homes, from where they plan more attacks. This continues despite the government promising that they will smoke out the bandits.
Bandits invaded the villages in December last year after being flushed out by the government from Laikipia. They moved into the area with thousands of their livestock and started engaging in a killing spree and stealing from the inhabitants, prompting locals to flee to safer areas.
Some schools in the area, including Kapkechir, Tuiyotich, Arabal and Kapindasum, are yet to reopen.
“The government had promised in February a massive operation to flush out the bandits and recover hundreds of our stolen livestock, but none of these promises has been honoured,” said resident Reuben Chesang.
“The criminals are in the deserted villages, plotting what village to descend on next, despite the presence of security camps in the areas. Do we really have a government in place?”
Since the beginning of the year, he said, more than 15 people had been shot dead by criminals in Kasiela, Arabal, Chebinyiny and Sinoni villages, with scores of others nursing gunshot injuries.
“If this is the trend then we will all be slowly wiped out as the government keeps giving us empty promises at the expense of our lives. Children here no longer go to school and are traumatised,” he said.
The incessant violence has disrupted people's lives and businesses and resulted in closure of crucial social amenities.
