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Security has been heightened in the banditry prone counties in the banditry prone North Rift as the festive season kicks in.

Armed criminals usually take advantage of the festivities to wreak havoc in the region.

Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Abdi Hassan yesterday assured residents in volatile areas of Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, Turkana and West Pokot counties that arrangements have been put in place to ensure that the residents are assured of their safety during this period.

“We want to assure residents in areas worst affected by insecurity for the better part of this year of their safety. More security personnel have been deployed to the areas we consider insecurity hotspots to ensure that everybody enjoys a peaceful festive season,” said the administrator.

“We will not tolerate any form of lawlessness,” added Hassan during an interview People Daily.
He ordered herders still in possession of illegal firearms to voluntarily surrender them which he said was the main cause of runaway insecurity in the region.

“You should be asking yourselves if the perennial fights and livestock theft has yielded any fruits of development in the affected areas. If not, then we should give peace a chance,” said Hassan.

Innocent citizens

Residenrs from the banditry prone region said armed bandits usually take advantage of the festivities to terrorise innocent civilians and called on security agencies not to leave anything to chance.

“The festive season usually presents untold suffering to our people. The government should deal with this menace once and for all,” said Richard Chepchomei, an elder from Baringo County.

The cattle raids and retaliations left more than 100 people including security personnel and thousands of livestock stolen this year alone in the region prompting the government to roll out a massive security operation to seize illegal firearms and flush out armed criminals.

The government termed six banditry-prone counties in the North Rift among them Turkana, West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, Laikipia and Samburu as ‘disturbed’ and ‘dangerous’ following the killing of at least 100 civilians and 16 police officers by armed bandits early this year and rolled out the security operation conducted by the National Police Service with the help of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).