Travelling along the rugged terrain of most banditry-prone counties in the North Rift, one only prays to God that they reach their destinations alive. 

With temperatures hitting nearly 40 degrees, the region is among the most dangerous places to work for police officers and civilians alike. 

This is as a result of armed bandits who are been roaming free in the region and ambushing unsuspecting motorists.  

They have killed at least 10 in the past two months alone, sparking fears that the bandits were now changing tactics and becoming highway robbers. 

A spot-check by People Daily revealed that the worst hit is Loruk-Marigat, Nginyang-Chemolingot in Baringo County and Maralal-Baragoi roads in Samburu County. 

A tour of the area reveals that the region has deep gullies occasioned by many years of erosion, making it very easy for security personnel and civilians to be ambushed by armed bandits marauding the area, which has come to be called ‘The Valley of Death’. 

Survived ambush 

Eric Mugendi, an Administration Police (AP) officer who survived an ambush in 2014, which saw 20 of his colleagues killed in Kapedo at the border of Baringo and Turkana counties, recalled how they were ambushed while on a truck headed to Kapedo.  

“We were not aware that the attackers had laid an ambush for us. Suddenly, we heard gunshots from all directions, prompting us to jump out of our lorry. Many of our colleagues were not as lucky,” said Mugendi.  

Mugendi was among three police officers who survived the deadly attack and were rushed to the Rift Valley General Hospital in Nakuru before being transferred to Nairobi for specialised treatment for gunshot wounds sustained in the attack. 

The killing of the 20 officers shocked the whole country, prompting then-President Uhuru Kenyatta to tour the area under heavy security. 

Uhuru ordered an army-led security operation in the area to apprehend the criminals who also made away with the slain officers’ firearms. 

In another brazen attack late last year, armed bandits laid an ambush on a vehicle Emadau Temakol (a senior GSU officer) was travelling in near Ameyan Bridge, killing him instantly. 

Flush out bandits 

The deceased was heading to Nairobi after leading a police operation to flush out bandits in the troubled region. 

The attack came barely three days after another attack where a middle-aged man was killed and three people injured at Kapedo. 

The killings have been going on despite heavy police presence in the region and government assurances that security has been beefed up in the area. 

At Nginyang-Chemolingot road, for instance, no motorist is willing to ply the route without police escort, fearing for their lives. This follows the killing of six people along the route in a week. 

The latest of the killings was on Monday this week, where one person was shot dead and four were left with bullet wounds after gunmen opened fire on a vehicle along the Loruk-Marigat road. 

The gunmen escaped the scene soon after the attack, with the motive is yet to be known. The injured were rushed to Marigat Hospital. 

This came barely a week after gunmen shot and killed two people in another ambush along the Nginyang-Marigat road. 

The deceased who included a lorry driver and his passenger were headed to Nginyang market in Tiaty Sub-County when they came under attack. 

Residents have called on the government to deal decisively with criminals wrecking havoc in the region. 

“Our people no longer go about their daily chores while children cannot go to school fearing for their lives. For how long will our people continue to be killed in cold blood for the government to act?” said Richard Chepchomei, an elder. 

Following the killings, irate locals’ barricaded Nakuru-Marigat road paralyzing business for many hours. 

The latest Monday attack came as Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen was holding a high-level security meeting in Kerio Valley.