Seven bandits killed in Turkana

A massive security operation in which seven raiders have been killed is under way in Turkana.

Security personnel mounted the operation in retaliation of Sunday’s attack at a police camp in Turkana East District.

The latest casualties were killed in a fierce gun battle between the raiders and the police.

The Nation learnt that officers who took part reported having fired over 2,000 rounds of ammunition to fight off the raiders.

In Sunday’s attack, a police officer and two Kenya Wildlife Service rangers were killed while three other security officers sustained injuries.

Those who survived were flown to Nairobi for treatment.

Sunday’s attack was carried out by more than 200 raiders from the Pokot community, who attacked homesteads of the Turkana community and drove away livestock.

The raiders were reportedly unhappy with the stationing of the security unit at the site, which is used as a transit point for stolen animals.

At the same time, the Provincial Administration has been criticised over its failure to contain clashes among pastoral communities that have claimed several lives.

The National Council of NGOs on claimed laxity among some security chiefs and leaders was to blame for the rise in banditry and cattle raids among pastoral communities in the North Rift region.

“There is no way more than 200 armed youths from an area can assemble to launch an attack without the local assistant chief, chief or district officer getting information on the impending raid,” the chairman of the National Council of NGOs, Mr Ken Wafula, said.

The recurrent government operations to recover illegal arms, he said, were ineffective in resolving cattle rustling and banditry.

Rift Valley provincial commissioner Osman Warfa led a team of security chiefs and MPs in assessing the security situation in Turkana and West Pokot.

Tension, however, remained high in Kainuk Division, with some residents fleeing the area following another attack by bandits.

The raiders are said to have attacked Lochwakula area for the second time on Tuesday afternoon. They engaged security personnel in a fierce gun battle that lasted more than an hour.

Independent sources said that the bandits escaped towards Pokot North after the police overpowered them.

“It is a security risk for the assistant chief, chiefs or any other leader to report such impending attacks since retaliation will be very devastating,” said a source who asked not to be named for security reasons.

“Most of these raids take place during holidays when schools are closed or when the circumcision period approaches,” he said.