Four people shot dead during banditry attack in Kainuk, Turkana

At least four people were shot and killed in a banditry attack in Aroo area, Kainuk, Turkana County.

The victims included three herders and a road user. They were all shot at close range in the Saturday incident in Kakong village.

Other reports indicated two more people had earlier been killed in the same area amid rising tension.

The driver was in his saloon car from Lodwar to Kitale when he was trapped by the gunfight.

An unknown number of gunmen had raided the village and mopped 500 goats ready to leave.

This was after they had shot and killed three herders, police said.

Local police reservists and police responded to the scene, prompting a gunfight that forced the gunmen to abandon the goats and flee.

It was then that police said the bodies of the herders and the driver were discovered.

The bodies were moved to the mortuary while the car was driven to the local police station pending other procedures.

An operation was later mounted in the area, but the gunmen had escaped amid fears they may return.

More personnel were sent to the area in an effort to tame any planned attack, police said. The road was rendered impassable for a while as police kept escorting cars at the affected stretch.

This is the latest such incident in the area amid efforts to address the banditry menace.

The area is among those under Operation Maliza Uhalifu aimed at dealing with bandits.

The operation has managed to contain crime in the area and other counties amid persistence.

The operation targets Baringo, West Pokot, Turkana, Samburu, Marsabit, Meru and Isiolo counties.

Besides retributive reaction, strategic investment and sustainable development have also taken a prominent place among the government’s planned crime control interventions for Kenya’s Northern frontier and the Kerio Valley belt.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen at the weekend launched a security tour of the Kerio Valley region, pledging intensified action to eradicate banditry in affected parts of the country.

Speaking at Cheptebo in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Murkomen said the government would extend the disarmament strategy that has shown success in the region to other insecurity-prone areas, including Turkana, Laikipia and Isiolo counties.

“During my tour of the region, which will also take me to West Pokot, Turkana, Laikipia, Isiolo and Meru, I will assess the security situation and engage security agencies and residents on ways of eliminating the remaining acts of banditry,” Murkomen said.

He expressed confidence that the interventions applied in Elgeyo-Marakwet and neighbouring Baringo County would yield similar results elsewhere.

He commended residents of the Kerio Valley for cooperating with security agencies and voluntarily surrendering illegal firearms, noting that more than 1,200 weapons have so far been collected across the region.

He said the long-term vision is to empower the communities to actively take part in the war against animal rustling and undertake legitimate nation-building activities. He said plans to distribute subsidized agricultural inputs and extension services to area residents in a bid to revive farming activities as a source of livelihood.

Murkomen had ordered fresh vetting for all National Police Reservists (NPRs) as part of efforts to bolster the operations. He said plans to distribute subsidised agricultural inputs and extension services to area residents in a bid to revive farming activities as a source of livelihood.

“We are coming to dismantle not only the criminals themselves but also to bring down the entire chain that has been the cattle and livestock rustling industry,” he said.

He also announced a new policy shift, which institutionalises the command structure of the NPR officers, stating they will hence be under the direct command of the Officer Commanding Police Stations (OCS) as part of efforts to enhance their operations.

The attacks have affected development at large.