Prominent Laikipia trader killed in restive region
A prominent Laikipia County businessman was shot dead on Thursday night in the restive region targeted by a government operation to flush out bandits.
Francis Kabiru, who has been operating in Laikipia North sub-county for over two decades, was killed by unknown assailants as he drove alone along the Nanyuki-Doldol road at 10pm.
His car, a probox carrying miraa (khat) to Doldol town, was sprayed with seven bullets through the windscreen at Daraja la Mungu Bridge by an unknown number of assailants. Nothing was taken from him.
According to residents, the trader, who is the main supplier of soft drinks to three local urban centres, has been attacked several times along the route in the past, with the robbers taking either soft drinks, miraa or money without harming him.
"I remember one day in 2014 when he had given me a lift with another woman. We encountered armed robbers around 6:30am and they only searched our pockets for money and other valuables before letting us go," said Ms Ann Wanjiku, a local resident.
While confirming the incident, Laikipia County Commissioner Joseph Kanyiri said it was too early to link the attack to bandits believed to be hiding in Mukogodo forest from where they have been launching attacks on neighbouring communities.
"Detectives have visited the scene to track down and arrest the killers. We suspect that the criminals who shot the trader are working closely with the local informers but the truth will come out when investigations are completed," said Mr Kanyiri.
Curfew hours
The county commissioner also blamed police officers for failing to enforce the dawn-to-dusk curfew in "troubled and dangerous" areas of Mukogodo division.
"If the police officers had been keen on enforcing the dusk-to-dawn curfew, the trader's life would probably have been spared. It is unfortunate that we lost him when I am informed that he had been warned several times not to operate during curfew hours," said Mr Kanyiri.
The police were also accused of laxity, with area MCA Paul Leshuel questioning why they failed to respond immediately after the attack and only arrived at the scene four hours later.
"The police must have heard the gunshots, because it is not far from where the trader was killed. Why did they have to wait four hours to collect the body and process the crime scene?" asked Mr Leshuel.
The MCA also questioned the effectiveness of the curfew in improving security when criminals still roam free at night.
"Last month, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki visited insecure areas in Laikipia and warned bandits hiding in Mukogodo forest that they would be flushed out immediately by a multi-agency security team. This has not happened yet for reasons we cannot explain," he said.