Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has emphasised the importance of separating the fight against banditry from politics, ethnicity, culture, religion, or other affiliations.
CS Kindiki urged political leaders to refrain from meddling in national security matters during a meeting with the Rift Valley Regional Security and Intelligence Committee and key players in the region’s security on Thursday.
“Political and other leaders must refrain from politicising security matters or trying to meddle with security operations to allow the organs and agencies of our national security wage a decisive, ruthless and conclusive war against the impunity and terror of banditry,” said CS Kindiki.
The Interior Minister also stated that the war on banditry will be intensified in order to put an end to the long-running threat that has discouraged peace in the North Rift region.
He went on to say that the government will go after the banditry’s financiers, planners, and executors, while also attempting to permanently destroy the infrastructure that facilitates the vice.
“…in the last eight months, we have registered significant success in the war against banditry. Our security officers have cornered the armed criminals and managed to recover a huge number of livestock stolen by the bandits,” he said.
“We are not about to stop. This operation will continue forever until the North Rift Valley Region is pacified and livestock rustlers eradicated completely.”
Kindiki also stated that multi-agency security officers have been deployed in the six North Rift Valley Counties and will remain on the ground until the bandits are completely disarmed.
This comes two days after CS Kindiki issued directives that all individuals involved in the rising banditry cases in Baringo County should be pursued, apprehended and prosecuted.
He stated that the questioning of three MPs in Baringo is only the beginning, and that more MPs, religious leaders, and community leaders have been identified for investigation and prosecution for inciting, financing, assisting, and perpetrating banditry activities and retaliatory attacks.
