Bandits have carried out another deadly attack in Samburu North, Samburu County, resulting in the deaths of two children, despite ongoing military operations.
The attack occurred just 200 meters from a Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) camp, but the 300 officers stationed there failed to engage the bandits.
"We cannot live this way. Two innocent children have been killed even when the government is leading a security operation. What else can we say?" lamented Joseph Ekutan, a resident in the area.
The bandits are said to be using Malaso and Kur Kur valleys as their base of operations, which allows them to easily detect security officers from a distance. School-going children are among the victims of the increasing banditry activities, as learning has been disrupted due to insecurity.
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Local herders have called on Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki to fulfil his promise to drive the bandits out of the region.
They lamented the situation was rendering them hopeless since they had nowhere else to run to.
In a separate incident, two herdsmen were also killed in Lolmolok area. Samburu West MP Naisula Lesuuda criticized Interior PS Raymond Omollo for failing to attend the burial of a chief in the region due to security concerns, warning him not to repeat the actions of his predecessor, Karanja Kibicho, who was accused of not visiting bandit-prone regions during his tenure.
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"Don't be like the former PS whom Natembeya lamented that he never visited these regions due to security concerns. How do you think these people are living?" Lesuuda posed.
Bandits who were dislodged from their hideouts in other bandit-prone counties, including Turkana, Baringo, and Elgeyo Marakwet, are reported to have sought refuge in the Malaso and Kur Kur valleys in Samburu County amidst an ongoing security operation.