Nairobi — Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki on Wednesday met with leaders from West Pokot and Baringo counties to discuss measures to tackle perennial insecurity that has plagued parts of the North Rift region.
The Ministry of Interior and National Administration (MINA) said the meeting which was attended by among other leaders Tiaty MP William Kamket and his Pokot South counterpart David Pkosing was in line with the presidential directive on hastening an end to cattle rustling and banditry in the North Rift and other parts of the country.
"Interior CS Kithure Kindiki this morning hosted leaders from West Pokot County and the neighboring Tiaty constituency in Baringo County for discussions on effective ways to combat cattle rustling and related challenges in their region," MINA reported.
The rising cases of insecurity in the North Rift have led to the loss of hundreds of lives, displacement of residents, and loss of thousands of livestock.
On Tuesday, the Interior Ministry revealed that an ongoing operation targeting cattle rustlers and other bandits in the North Rift and other parts of the country had recovered over 700 livestock.
The Interior Ministry stated that nearly 500 goats, 70 heads of cattle, and 200 camels that had been stolen in Turkana, Baringo, and Isiolo counties had since been returned to their owners under the Operation Komesha Uhalifu which was recently launched by the government.
In its update, at least one suspected bandit has been shot dead in Turkana, and a gun retrieved in the operation that has also been extended to West Pokot, Samburu, Elgeyo Marakwet, and Laikipia counties.
President William Ruto ordered a crackdown against cattle rustling and lawlessness that has plagued the North Rift region and other arid parts of the country.
He warned that the government will deal ruthlessly with armed criminals hiding under cultural practices to steal livestock while killing and maiming innocent citizens.
President Ruto directed the Rift Valley Regional Commissioner, Mohammed Maalim, and County Commissioners from affected counties to immediately recruit and deploy police reservists to complement security teams on the ground.
MINA said it was working on logistics to ensure security operations are scaled up.
"The reservists who are traditionally drawn from local communities are regarded as an effective bulwark against bandits and cattle rustlers due to their knowledge of the tough terrain and hiding spots relied on by the criminals to wage attacks and to frustrate security operations," the ministry said.
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Speaking in Turkana over the weekend while launching relief food distribution, the President also put on notice the masterminds and the patrons of the cattle theft syndicates saying the government was determined to bring to book the perpetrators of the vice that has claimed hundreds of lives and displaced thousands of others.
CS Kindiki has already held meetings with senior security chiefs on the implementation of the Presidential directive and the ongoing operation that also targets the mopping up of illegal guns and the elimination of gun-racketing networks blamed for fueling the cyclic violence.
In late October, a multi-agency team acting on a tip-off recovered 24 stolen goats and an AK-47 gun from a suspected homestead in Turkana County.
Another 34 goats that had been stolen in Lokwall village in the same county by bandits suspected to have crossed over from West Pokot County were also recovered in the week ending November 5.
On Monday, security teams covered 70 cattle and 150 goats after a confrontation with a group of armed attackers that left at least one suspected bandit dead.
