Disarmament operation to end banditry in Kitui continues

Security has been restored in areas of Kitui County affected by bandit attacks, County Commissioner Boaz Cherutich has said.

Mr Cherutich told the Nation that a disarmament operation targeting herders is under way and police are hunting down criminals who killed three people in Mwingi on New Year's Eve, though no arrests had been made.

"I wish to assure the residents that there is no reason to live in fear since our officers have secured their homes and police are searching for the criminals who shot the three people dead," he said.

The commissioner said the clampdown on illegal guns is being carried out in Kyuso and Ukasi in Mwingi North and Mwingi East respectively.

The State hopes to stanch repeated attacks and the fleeing of locals from their homes.

"Security officers have been deployed to identify and forcefully disarm the bandits who have been masquerading as herders and causing tension among the residents of Kitui," he said.

Mr Cherutich affirmed the government’s commitment to keeping residents safe and promoting cohesion.

"We are keen to put an end to the pasture-related conflicts between the two communities that have led to loss of lives and threatened peace for a long time," the commissioner said.

At the same time, he rejected reports in the media that hundreds of families in Inyanzae, Kasiluni, Mukavo and Mangombo villages had fled their homes because of the attacks and that learning in schools might be affected.

"I visited Kyuso and Ukasi on January 2 and 3 to assess the situation and established that only 50 people were spotted roaming around with their cattle, but they were not fleeing as it was reported in the media.

"Regarding the reopening of schools in the affected areas, we have sent a team of county education officers to check the situation and we are still waiting for their report."