The Baringo Governor, Stanley Kiptis has called on parents to restrain their school going children from taking part in banditry activities in the county during the long holiday caused by Covid-19.
Speaking at Kenya School of Government in Baringo on Thursday, after a security meeting the governor said it was sad that the perpetrators of the current cattle rustling and banditry are very young boys.
“We have realized that the organizers of cattle rustling are using school going children to cause mayhem in the county,” said the governor.
He also called on change of tact on disarmament and borrow from practice that has worked elsewhere like exchanging illegal guns surrendered with legal ones which can be tracked if misused.
The meeting chaired by the Rift Valley Regional Commissioner (RC), George Natembeya comes in the wake of banditry attacks that has claimed six lives in the last one month and left three others nursing gunshot injuries at the Baringo County Referral Hospital.
The areas affected are parts of Baringo North and South which border East Pokot where most rustlers are believed to emanate from.
The local leaders are however criticizing the security team led by Natembeya and the County Commissioner for not taking swift action in dealing with the menace.
According to County Assembly Majority leader, Lawi Kipchumba, Natembeya should have visited the affected areas instead of holding meetings in the county headquarters.
“It is worrying that someone was killed in Bartabwa area and the County Commissioner (CC), Henry Wafula never visited the place,” said the majority leader.
He also called for investigations of leaders from the areas the bandits hail from saying they must be the cause or even have knowledge of the perpetrators.
“We also believe the animosity may also be a revenge mission after members of the county assembly impeached Ameja Zelemoi from the Deputy Speaker position last month,” he said.
He disparaged the security team saying they were belittling loss of lives in the area by not looking for permanent solution for the perennial insecurity menace.
With the tensions rising in the affected areas forcing some residents fleeing their areas the security team led by Natembeya has issued a shoot to kill order saying those that kill by the gun will also be killed by the gun.
By Christopher Kiprop
