By Micheal Saitoti
Ten police officers were killed while ten others were injured in a fierce gun battle with bandits in Lomerok area in Baragoi, Samburu North District Saturday morning.
This has raised tension in the area even as Government launched a full-scale security operation in the area.
Baragoi Deputy OCPD Ben Makori while confirming the incident said five casualties were airlifted to Nairobi for treatment while five others are recuperating at the Baragoi district hospital.
The officers were trying to recover stolen cattle when they encountered the armed bandits.
A few weeks ago, a dozen civilians were killed in the same region by bandits.
Tension is reportedly high in Baragoi area and its environs following the incident.
Two communities of Turkana and Samburu in Baragoi have on several occasions?engaged in conflicts that involved armed attacks
The government for the past weeks has been engaging in talks with the two warring communities and gave an ultimatum to surrender the stolen livestock to each other.
It was upon the elapsing of the government’s deadline that the government deployed police officers to pursue the bandits and recover stolen cattle leading to the officers’ death.
Samburu is one of the counties most hard hit by insecurity partly due to proliferation of small arms that has promoted the culture of cattle rustling over the years.
About a week ago, Police arrested a man who was transporting 15 firearms loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition from Maralal town, the headquarters of the county, to the neighbouring Nyahururu town.
The man, who was in a matatu, was arrested at Kinamba on the Nyahururu-Rumuruti-Maralal road. The weapons were hidden in 12 gunny bags. Laikipia West police boss Francio Nyamatari had then described the arrest as a major victory in the fight against gun trafficking.
“We have intensified the random searches on all routes within our jurisdiction, and we urge residents to provide us with any relevant information as this will help us restore security in this area,” he added.
In general, the security question in the country has been of major concern, with two operations to mop out illicit guns going on in the North-Rift and Coast province within the Tana Delta, where nine police officers also lost their lives in inter-community attacks.
Rift Valley provincial police Officer (PPO) John Mbijiwe had earlier in the week indicated the security operation in the province had so far recovered 1,200 guns.
When the operation started, the government indicated it was targeting 20,000 guns from West-Pokot and Baringo, which neighbours Samburu county.
Narc-Kenya presidential aspirant Martha Karua a few days back hit out at President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister (PM) Raila Odinga, arguing they had failed to make the country secure, and that they were focusing more on succession.
“They are too preoccupied with succession that they have forgotten their duties. They have neglected Kenyans,” said the Gichugu MP.
On Friday 27 Catholic Bishops led by John Cardinal Njue, noted during a meeting in Bungoma that they are perplexed and dismayed by the rising insecurity and terrorist attacks. The bishops also took issue with the constant assurances from the police department promising investigations into the attacks but nothing comes through.
They said there’s an influx of guns and other dangerous weapons into the country while on the other hand, there seems to be some reluctance and lack of vigilance among security personnel.
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