Kenya Insights

Tag: Laikipia skirmishes

  • UDA politicians want Mutyambai out over Laikipia attacks

    UDA politicians want Mutyambai out over Laikipia attacks

    Thirteen politicians allied to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) are calling on the Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai to resign for failing to end the deadly violence and killings in Laikipia.

    The lawmakers led by the vocal Kandara MP Alice Wahome accused Mutyambai of laxity in the violent conflict in Laikipia where a dusk to dawn curfew has been imposed as police fights to flash out armed herders who have attacked the region. Wahome said the manner in which the IG is handling the crisis is exposing his incompetence.

    Another UDA ally, Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua also called on Mutyambai to take full responsibility of the skirmishes and resign as Laikipia Senator John Kinyua challenged the State to deploy the military to contain the situation.

    “The work of any government is to protect its people, if it cannot protect its people then what else can it do?” Kinyua posed.

    Hillary Mutyambai, Inpector-General of police in Kenya [p/courtesy]
    The politicians who spoke at Parliament buildings want the government to resettle all the victims of banditry attacks in Laikipia county even as it jails rogue politicians who are inciting residents to violence.

    This comes barely a week after the same bunch of politicians criticized the State and the police boss for downgrading the security details attached to the Deputy President William Ruto. The debate that followed the incident pushed DP’s Chief of Staff Ken Osinde to write to the IG as he sought explanations for the withdrawal of GSU officers from Ruto’s official residence.

    But Ruto downplayed the saga during a campaign meeting at Karen where he ‘advised’ Mutyambai to deploy the officers in areas that need serious security enforcement like Baringo and Laikipia which are under banditry attacks.

    UDA allies are making their demands as Interior CS Fred Matiang’i maintains that the government is dealing with the situation and hunting down the  criminals who are terrorizing residents of the Olmoran area in Laikipia. He also claimed that security officers on the ground have taken full control of the situation.

  • Marriott: Bandits not using British Army weapons in Laikipia

    Marriott: Bandits not using British Army weapons in Laikipia

    The British High Commissioner to Kenya British High commissioner Jane Marriott has refuted claims that BATUK weapons are circulating in Kenya and being used by bandits behind the deadly skirmishes which are being witnessed in Laikipia County.

    Britain has been training upto 10,000 troops at it’s Nyati Barracks – British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk) in Nanyuki which is located in Laikipia, Kenya.

    Ms Marriott claimed that they do a 100% daily quantity check as she stressed that their units exercising with Batuk do not use M16 rifles. Her defense comes barely 48 hours after Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya suggested that the bandits terrorizing Laikipia are armed with M16 rifles which are commonly used by foreign forces training in the area.

    Natembeya was puzzled of how such lethal weapons got into their hands of the herders as he called for thorough investigations to unearth criminals behind the attacks which have claimed the lives of three police officers and seven locals.

    “The guns that these bandits are using are mighty. They are called M16. Most of them are only used by foreign troops who come to train in Kenya,” Natembeya said.

    But he recanted his statements on Wednesday to avoid rubbing British Army the wrong way when he claimed that such lethal weapons might have been smuggled into Kenya from war torn places like South Sudan and Northern Uganda.

    M16 rifles can shoot over a range of 3.5 kilometres and can release 60 rounds of ammunition within a minute, which translates to one bullet per second.

    Laikipia was declared a disturbed security operation area after the National Security Council met on Monday and two days later another meeting was held by the National Security Advisory Committee after which Interior CS Fred Matiang’i declared a dusk to dawn curfew in the area.

    Efforts to restore peace has seen the arrest of two local politicians including former Laikipia North MP Mathew Lempurkel and Tiaty MP William Kamket who have been charged with incitements.

     

     

  • Tiaty MP’s links to Laikipia skirmishes

    Tiaty MP’s links to Laikipia skirmishes

    Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested Tiaty MP William Kamket and driven him to Nakuru where he will be interrogated over his role in plotting the deadly skirmishes currently being witnessed in Laikipia and Baringo counties.

    Baringo County Police Commander Robinson Ndiwa confirmed the arrest of the controversial law maker who will answer to charges of incitement regarding the chaos being witnessed in Laikipia which has been invaded by dangerously armed herders who come from his constituency.

    “Today, we have arrested Tiaty MP where the herders come from. Those herders are the people who have been employed to look after the animals for prominent people, the MP being included ……So we arrested the MP to come and answer the charges of incitement and clashes in regard to what has been going on in Laikipia and Baringo.” Ndiwa said.

    Ndiwa also said that the police has launched an operation but they are facing heavy resistance from the armed herders who are leading the banditry attacks which have claimed ten eights lives.

    According to Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya the bandits killed five civilians and three police officers who deployed to enforce security in Laikipia. Natembeya who spoke on Wednesday claimed that the deaths occurred before the security operation began on Tuesday as public raised complaints that police only came after one of their own was killed.

    The state is making efforts to neutralize the armed herders who have invaded the region. National Security Council also sat and declared Laikipia a disturbed and a security operation area, just two days after the National Security Advisory Committee held a meeting.

    The gang which is on a killing spree invaded private ranches in Laikipia last weekend and torched more than 40 homes in the area. Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i who weighed in on the matter said an operation will also be conducted at the Laikipia Nature Conservancy as he declared a dusk to dawn curfew in the area.

    Locals with animals grazing in the ranches were given two days to remove them as officials accused politicians like Kamket, a judge, senior military officer, and police officers of illegally moving livestock into Laikipia conservancy.