Interior CS Kiture Kindike and Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wesley Rotich expressed optimism for better and safer life for locals after bandits evacuated their hideouts in Kerio Valley.
Kindiki claimed that security forces in the KDF-supported operation in the area have seized control of the majority of the former residential areas that were previously utilized as launch pads for fatal attacks.
“The thieves have left the region entirely, and we are currently in the places where they used to hide. Our people must now live in complete peace, thus we intend to stay, Kindiki said.
In order to restore security in the five counties designated as disturbed, he claimed that the gorges, caverns, and escarpments used by the bandits had now been cleaned by police and KDF officers working jointly.
He stated after a thorough assessment of the security situation in various locations in Baringo and Elgeyo Marakwet. At Kolowa and Tiaty in Baringo, Kindiki and Rotich spoke at a security gathering. More than 400 security personnel are stationed at a security camp that has been established at Kolowa in Elgeyo Marakwet to support the operation.
The CS stated that the government will launch development programs to serve villages that had endured years of underdevelopment as soon as peace was restored. Governor Rotich praised CS Kindiki for “humbling himself” during many outdoor meetings to hear the opinions of the locals.
“We have not had another CS who came down and sat with our people under a tree to listen to their views,” Rotich added. He said that the CS had listened to locals’ suggestions for how to deal with banditry in the Valley.
In order to increase literacy, Rotich remarked, “We have requested the CS to help create boarding schools in Tiaty, open up of security highways, and also build a military base near the Kerio River. He said that a permanent KDF camp at Todo in the region had been confirmed by the CS. Rotich urged community-based sustainable development initiatives.
According to Rotich, “We must implement interventions for sustainability, and this can include the restoration of the Tot/ Kolowo irrigation schemes so the locals can engage in agriculture.” Additionally, he called for the relocation of the Anti-Stock Theft Units and GSU camps along the Kerio Valley as well as the establishment of new military camps in Ngoron and Loiywat in Tiaty.
In order for farmers to resume food production, “My administration will now distribute seeds to them,” Rotich added. Kindiki stated that the federal government would provide the county with equipment to expand the number of roads in the area.