Slain officer was preparing for annual leave when he was killed

A General Service Unit (GSU) officer stationed in Lokori, Turkana East, who was among eight shot dead by armed attackers in Namariat village on Saturday was preparing for his annual leave on the day he was killed.

John Kisoi, 32, the first-born in a family of six, was recruited to the police service in 2017. He was among 11 people who died when they were ambushed by armed criminals as they pursued stolen livestock.

He had called his brother, Nelsoi Kisoi, that Saturday, informing him that he would be with them the next day.

“He called me that Saturday morning and we talked at length. He was in very high spirits because he was taking a break to come home for his annual leave and he even assured me that we would meet on Sunday,” Mr Kisoi said.

The father of four had been in service for five years, working in Taita Taveta, Todonyang, Nadapal and Lokori in Turkana, his last station.

Bread winner

His relatives in Kuikui village, Baringo North, are yet to come to terms with his sudden demise. They said they had lost their breadwinner, who was taking care of his siblings after their parents died some years ago.

Family members said that because of poverty, the officers had only completed a plumbing course and stayed at home for several years.

His brother said that after their parents died, they relied on the officer for virtually everything, ranging from school fees to food.

“He was a very responsible person who took over the responsibility of paying for our education after our parents died without complaining despite providing for his own young family. I recently completed my studies courtesy of his assistance,” he said.

“It is sad that when he was killed, he was just beginning to enjoy the fruits of his labour,” Mr Kisoi said.

Phylis Rerimoi, a relative, said the family was happy that he was finally taking a break from working in the banditry-prone area, before they received news of his sudden demise.

Breaking news

News of his death was broken by his brother, who works in Nairobi. 

“That is when we sensed that the worst had happened, and our suspicions were confirmed when the bad news was broken that he was among those shot dead in the attack,” Ms Rerimoi said.

Joshua Chepkeitany, a neighbour, said: “The worst has happened and we lack the best words to describe our grief because we have lost our only hope. The government should be serious and end the perennial attacks because we have lost hundreds of people in this region.”

The attack happened in the volatile Kapedo/Napeitom ward on the Baringo-Turkana border. Kapedo has been the scene of bloody conflicts over the years, leaving a trail of death.

Valley of death

The area has earned the name ‘Valley of Death’ because of how dangerous it is working or living there. It has claimed hundreds of lives, security officers.

Some 22 Administration Police (AP) officers were killed by armed criminals in a deadly ambush in the Kasarani area of Kapedo in 2014.

In January 2020, four security officers, among them police superintendent Emadau Tebakol, chief inspector Moses Lekariab police constable Benson Kaburu and a driver were shot dead in Ameyan, near Kapedo, by armed criminals suspected to have come from neighbouring Tiaty sub-county.

The deep gullies created by soil erosion provide bandits with good hideouts, from where they ambush locals and security officers.

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