Govt issues statement on Laikipia bandit attacks
The government has issued a statement over the ongoing security operation to bring peace in the troubled Ol Moran area in Laikipia county.
In a statement to newsrooms on Saturday, September 11, Interior CS Dr. Fred Matiang'i said the rebuilding of homes razed down by bandits in Laikipia begun in earnest as security agencies worked on restoring calm to the county.
"The construction of buildings to host an expanded police presence in the area was also in high gear yesterday with the ground breaking of new office structures for the officers," the statement read in part.
CS Matiang’i has spent a second consecutive day at Ol Moran kick and started the construction of the base for the newly-formed police division commander.
“I'm glad that there was no single incident was reported last night, and that is what we envision for our people. We have stepped up our presence here, and we have begun constructing the Ol-Moran Police Divisional Headquarters, and the basic feature of such a station is that it will have more than 100 police officers,” he said.
The CS who also supervised the distribution of more foodstuffs and building materials to displaced families expressed confidence with measures undertaken so far to restore calm.
He said the Kenya Police Reservists will be deployed to escort teachers and learners in Ol Moran beginning Monday when schools that had closed due to insecurity reopen.
Yesterday, education and security officials in the area were holed up in planning meetings for the resumption of normal schooling.
It was a beehive of activities in some parts of the county worst hit by the violence as families returned to their farms to reconstruct their homes.
The CS who was accompanied by Deputy Inspector of Police (APS) Noor Gabow, Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya and Laikipia Governor Nderitu Murithi said more officers and the two additional police stations will secure residents from incursions by bandits.
“This part of Laikipia needs a much more sustainable policing than we have done before. This is not one of those places we come in to stabilize and leave. We are going to be here for a long while. The issues surrounding the Laikipia Nature Conservancy and the border with Baringo will be solved. We are going to come up with a more comprehensive framework of addressing the challenges,” he said.
The new police structures will be a joint project between the National government and that of Laikipia county that has committed Ksh20 million.
At the Sipili trading center, the CS warned residents flouting the dawn to dusk imposed in the area that they risked being caught up in the ongoing crackdown.
