Two Rift Valley politicians arrested over Laikipia clashes 

Two Rift Valley politicians were arrested in connection with the bloody skirmishes that have rocked Laikipia in recent weeks, as the government adopted a tougher stance in a bid to restore sanity in the restive county.

Tiaty Member of Parliament William Kamket and ex-MP Mathew Lempurkel were both taken into custody as tension mounted in the restive Laikipia West and North constituencies.

Mr Lempurkel, former Laikipia North legislator, was charged at the Milimani law courts in Nairobi as Mr Kamket, who was arrested at his Kositei home in Baringo, was taken to Nakuru law courts under tight security.

Mr Kamket arrived was taken to Nakuru Central Police station before being transferred to Kaptembwa Police Station, where he spent the night.

"The MP will face incitement related charges at the Nakuru Law Courts," said Baringo County police commander Robinson Ndiwa.

Mr Lempurkel is expected in court today after senior resident magistrate Sinkiyian Tobiko denied the police a request to detain him for 14 days and questioned why the security agencies failed to arrest the politician and charge him in court soon after alleged utterances in which he is accused of urging the Maasai community in Laikipia to rise up against owners of ranches and conservancies in the county. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had stated that on July 11 and July 21 Mr Lempurkel made the utterances when he appeared on a Maa TV show.

The magistrate further raised questions as to why the police produced the politician in court with an application to remand him as opposed to being charged. It also emerged that his arrest came hours after attending a security meeting held at Harambee House between Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, Maa community leaders and security personnel.

 “Between July 11 and today, it is almost two months when the police swung into action. Police were aware of the alleged incitement remarks. If he incited the Maa community to rise against other communities, it is questionable why the State is bringing him to court not to charge but remand him,” said the magistrate.

Preliminary investigations on the Tiaty MP reveal that some of the attackers are his workers.

On Wednesday protests by his lawyers to have the MP released on  police bond fell on deaf ears, as they revealed that they plan to move to court to seek compensation over what they say are numerous arrests of their client.

"The MP is being used as a  scapegoat by the government which has failed to tame ramapant insecurity in volatile areas of the Rift Valley. We are planning to move to court over his numerous arrests," his lawyer Mr Kipkoech Ngetich told the Nation.

Rift valley Regional Coordinator George Natembeya, in a media briefing in Nakuru, issued a stern warning to politicians inciting locals to resist the government’s move to flush out bandits out of the insecurity prone areas of Laikipia.

Mr Natembeya said the ongoing security operation is well-planned and is aimed at ending insecurity in the affected areas.

He said the government will firmly deal with politicians inciting the public to violence.

“Politicians trying to interfere with the security operation or inciting the public to cause violence will be dealt with firmly... The ongoing operation is aimed at ending the perennial insecurity that has affected residents of Laikipia," said Mr Natembeya.

According to the police chief, such politicians also risk being barred from vying in next year’s General Election.

He said those found culpable “will watch the 2022 polls on television from their prison cells.”

“Intelligence reports indicate that the livestock that is normally driven to private farms, ranches and conservancies does not belong to the herders. The livestock is owned by prominent people and politicians who are behind the invasions and attacks in Laikipia,” revealed Mr Natembeya.

“It is no longer about water and pasture, the invaders are involved in a systematic move to take over private land in Laikipia and as government we will not allow that to happen,” he added.

The attackers, he said, have been receiving a sustained supply and replenishment of sophisticated guns, bullets and food in support of the “creeping Moranism culture” in the region.

“The criminals are supplied with guns including the dangerous M-16 rifle that they use in the attacks.We have launched inverstigations to establish the source of the guns,” said Mr Natembeya.

The administrator revealed that eight people, among them three police officers, have been killed in a period of one month in the skirmishes.

“Four civilians and two police officers are nursing gunshot wounds in hospital,” he added.

However, the Nation learnt that more people may have been killed in the restive Ol Moran area, but are yet to be documented.

According to residents, a lorry driver and his turn boy are among the victims of the banditry attacks that have rocked the area for nearly two weeks now.

A resident, Benson Muriithi, in an interview with the Nation on Wednesday revealed that the two were abducted and killed by their assailants on Monday, at Nagum area.

“The lorry driver and the turn boy had gone to a nearby market to transport some goods, unfortunately they never made it back home. A survivor of the attack narrated to the lorry owner that they had been attacked and the two were abducted, but it has been difficult to access the area because it has been taken over by the attackers,” revealed Mr Muriithi.

The incident brings to four the number of traders from Laikipia who have been abducted by bandits, after two other men were abducted days ago.

Security officers have since warned traders against going to markets located in the volatile areas of the county.

“The government has deployed enough security officers to the restive parts of Laikipia West to restore sanity.The security personnel are from various formations, including the Anti-Stock Theft Unit, the Rapid Deployment Unit and the General Service Unit,” said Mr Natembeya.

The government has now announced a one-week operation to restore sanity in the region.

“We want to ensure those who had been displaced in Laikipia will go back to their homes,” he added.

Hundreds of people have been displaced from their settlements and seeking refuge in churches and police stations as the banditry attacks intensified this week.

Meanwhile, the government has bowed to pressure from residents to redeploy the National Police Reservists (NPRs) in the troubled Laikipia County.

The reservists were withdrawn two years ago.

Laikipia bears the biggest brunt of insecurity in the region, especially during dry seasons when herders leave Samburu, Isiolo and Baringo Counties in search of pastures.

Leaders from Laikipia, led by county Governor Ndiritu Muriithi, Senator John Kinyua, MPs Sarah Lekore (Laikipia North), Patrick Mariru (Laikipia West) a host of local MCAs and the Rift Valley Council Elders have been pushing the government to restore the services of the reservists in the region.

The government withdrew more than 3,000 firearms from the NPRs in the North Rift in the war on banditry in 2019 after it emerged that some of them had been misusing the firearms to engage in banditry and other criminal activities.

The reservists were ordered to hand back the guns at police stations, declaring that they had to go to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations offices for biometric registration, labeling of weapons and shooting practices.

The reservists have been given back their guns and uniforms.

“We have already re-armed 60 former police reservists and the government is targeting 100 of them,” said Mr Natembeya.

By Mercy Koskey, Joseph Openda, Steve Njuguna, Richard Munguti and Joseph Wangui.