Government goes after individuals behind Kapedo attacks
Residents arrive at the meeting led Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya during Peace meeting at Kapedo on November 15, 2020.
What you need to know:
- Police to conduct operation aimed at moping out suspected bandits causing mayhem in the region.
- Government however denies reports that it has deployed the Kenya Defense Forces in the troubled area.
The government has declared war on the politicians and influential government officials suspected to be behind violence in the restive Kapedo region in the border of Baringo and Turkana Countries.
However, the government has denied reports that it has deployed the Kenya Defense Forces in the troubled area.
Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya on Friday said police will conduct operation aimed at moping out suspected bandits causing mayhem in the region.
He noted that the police are still in control of the region and has launched operation to flash out the culprits from their hideouts.
Mr Natembeya also announced that the government has embarked on a mission to carry out crackdown on individuals behind the recent attacks targeting police officers in the region.
Mr Natembeya said a number of politicians and wealthy businessmen are on police radar after investigations linked them to the attacks.
According to Mr Natembeya, some individuals are responsible for the smuggling of guns from neighbouring countries which has fueled conflict and killings in the region.
Planning the attacks
He noted that the individuals are using their positions to share privileged information to the bandits and take part in the planning and execution of the attacks for their own interests.
The individuals, he said, have been identified and will be arrested for interrogation, if they will not surrender.
According to Mr Natembeya, Tiaty, MP William Kamket, who was arrested on Thursday, is among the politicians being investigated over their role in the recent attacks.
Others include Silale Member of County Assembly Nelson Lotela, whom Natembeya said is suspected to be the one behind the smuggling of guns from Uganda.
“You will be shocked to know that the respectable members of the society are the ones responsible for these attacks. We will soon be naming them,” said Mr Natembeya.
He explained that rich individuals are buying guns for the herders to perform a specific task for them.
He warned that should the individuals fail to surrender; the government will expose them to the public.
Police officers killed
At least four police officers, including senior officers, have been killed and five others hospitalised with gunshot wounds following the spate of attacks witnessed in the area in the recent week.
Mr Natembeya further declared a crackdown on gun holders whom he said are a threat to peaceful co-existence in the area.
He noted that government has embarked on an operation to forcefully disarm the community, urging the individuals to either surrender to the police or the government will forcefully recover the firearms.
“The new operation we are conducting involves recovering stolen animals, flushing out criminals and forceful disarmament of guns. For the first time we want to use force in recovering these firearms which have been used to cause insecurity in the community,” said Mr Natembeya.
He said that the police have not been overwhelmed by the bandits, saying that it is only that they have been restraining themselves from reacting to the banditry attacks.
The regional administrator noted that the police have now changed tactics and are ready to face the suspects head on vowing that no other police will be killed by the criminals.
