A Maralal court on Monday released on bond a prime suspect behind banditry and murders in Samburu East after being held in police custody for more than 14 days.
Senior Resident Magistrate James Wanyanga released Mr Dakitari Lokombayo on a Sh500,000 bond with a surety of a similar amount.
However, the magistrate immediately suspended the bond terms until after the suspect takes plea to murder charges at the Meru High Court on November 8. He also ordered Maralal Police Station to facilitate the transfer of the suspect to Meru to face murder charges.
"The suspect is out on bond. However, the bond terms issued are hereby suspended until after he takes plea at the Meru High Court," Mr Wanyanga ruled, adding that the suspect will be detained at the Maralal Police Station pending his arraignment at the Meru High Court.
Lokombayo was presented before the Maralal Court on Monday where he denied all five consolidated counts read out to him.
The court heard that Mr Lokombayo was found in possession of an M16 assault rifle serial number 5395508 believed to have been used in criminal activities in Samburu East. He is also facing attempted murder and robbery with violence charges.
Mr Lokombayo was arrested on October 8 in Wamba town, in Samburu East.
Highway bandits continue to terrorise motorists along Samburu's Maralal-Wamba-Acres Post road, a key road connecting Samburu, Isiolo and Marsabit counties.
Criminals target trucks ferrying livestock and other food items to the market. They also shoot at personal vehicles. Three people have been killed and several others injured in separate incidents.
Despite increased police patrols aimed at reducing banditry, the availability of illegal guns in the hands of civilians has turned travelling in this part of the country into a nightmare.
Decades of sporadic incidents of banditry in Samburu have evolved into a worrying security threat in the region.
