Scars of banditry: How residents have borne brunt of never-ending menace
Pastor Francis Changwony of Ngaratuko in Baringo North Constituency, Baringo County, shows a scar on his shoulder from a bullet that exited through his back.
By Florah Koech
Nation Media Group
What you need to know:
- Criminals leave in their wake death and destruction some not sparing pets including dogs.
- Incessant theft of animals on which residents in Baringo depend on for livelihoods renders families paupers.
On the afternoon of March 10, 2024, an unknown number of armed criminals suspected to be from the neighbouring community descended on Kapsebeiwo Village in Baringo North and made away with thousands of livestock.
At the time, Paul Chepkangor was herding his livestock a few kilometres from his house when the bandits struck.
During the raid, they surrounded a radius of more than three kilometres and made away with livestock from the neighbouring villages. Among animals driven away were his 50 goats, 40 sheep and 12 cows. He was rendered a pauper in a single raid.
“The bandits were so many that I had to leave the livestock and flee to safety. My wife and the children had to lock themselves inside the house as attackers fired gunshots indiscriminately. They drove all my livestock as they advanced to other homestead and neighbouring villages. During the raid, thousands of animals were stolen including more than 100 of goats, sheep and cows,” said Mr Chepkangor.
After raiding the neighbouring villages, they passed by his homestead again as they watered the livestock at a nearby borehole.
“One of them broke into one of the windows of my house, targeting to harm my wife and children who had locked themselves inside. Luckily, one of the criminals shouted at him that those inside were just children. His mission was aborted and he vented his anger by shooting dead a dog that was lying in the compound,” said Mr Chepkangor.
A week after the incident, locals in the area resorted to fleeing to safer villages for fear of more attacks from the criminals who were still roaming the villages including Chepkangor’s children who sought refuge at an internally displaced people (IDP) camp in Moinonin, tens of kilometres away.
Micah Kipsang Yator, a national police reservist, shows where he was injured by a bullet when they were ambushed by bandits from the neighbouring community while he was in the company of area security chiefs patrolling the Ngaratuko-Kosile-Kagir area on February 11, 2024.
After settling his children at the safer village, he went back home to patrol the village and man their houses.
Sadly, according to the father of 12, he arrived at his house only to realise that in his absence, it had been vandalised by the attackers who looted some of their belongings including some vital documents and clothes.
On March 24, two weeks after the raid, men who had been left behind in the deserted villages, including Chepkangor, got wind that a number of criminals had been spotted heading to their area earlier in the day.
“As usual, we patrol the area in the evening and before we left to our observation points, we resorted to take a shower at the nearby borehole. After we walked for some metres, we heard some gunshots just a distance from where we were. I was in front and everyone ran for safety. I fell down after I was shot. I tried to drag myself to safety and that is when I saw my thigh bleeding and I raised the alarm,” said the father of 13.
Some minutes later, he explained, police reservists arrived and repulsed the attackers before rushing him to Marigat Sub-County Hospital where he received first aid before being referred to the Baringo County Referral Hospital for specialised treatment.
Medics at the facility indicated that he had suffered an extensive fracture on his thigh and they were referred to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret (MTRH) where he was taken to the theatre for surgery.
“Two weeks after admission to the facility, he was also taken back to the theatre to insert a leg rod to support the broken thigh.
He spent more than Sh180, 000 on treatment at the facility where he still owes over Sh70,000.
When the Nation caught up with Chepkangor at Marigat Inn estate in Baringo South on Thursday, he was too feeble to walk out of the rented two roomed iron sheet structure.
The gunshot injury was still fresh with the thigh that was fitted with a rod still bandaged. Stitches were also visible just above the knee where the bullet went through during the attack.
For Chepkangor, he had to rent a house at Marigat town to ease travel to Eldoret for medical check-ups. Due to his condition, he cannot also live in the makeshift tents at the IDP camp where his children have taken refuge.
“Apart from the injury, I am so burdened because I lost all my main source of livelihood in the raid. Schools are re-opening next week and I do not know where I will get money for their school fees. I am having nightmares on what has befallen me because I have just been rendered a pauper,” said the distraught father.
Sote Aengwo,70, from the insecurity prone Chepkewel is also grappling with the same challenge and is still nursing gunshot wounds inflicted by bandits who made away with more than 100 livestock during the raid.
During an interview with the Nation at Moinonin IDP camp where she has taken refuge after fleeing her home a month ago, she was still walking with the aid of crutches and her swollen leg could allow her to sit or stand for long.
A month ago, she had just released her two granddaughters, below the age of 10 to go and look after her goats when bandits stuck and drove away more than 100 goats and sheep and seven cows.
Sote Aengwa, a widow from Ngaratuko in Baringo North Constituency, Baringo County, during an interview when the Nation found her at Muinonin IDP camp in Baringo South on April 25, 2024.
“I was taking lunch to my two granddaughters who were tending my goats when I was ambushed by an armed raider. I didn’t know that the criminals had descended on my grandchildren while in the grazing fields and drove away my livestock. The one that was still behind spotted me and asked me if I needed to be spared or killed,” said Ms Aengwo.
“He was hiding in a bush nearby where I was heading to. I just held onto a tree and he shot me on the knee before fleeing. I dragged myself to a neighbours house and locals came to my rescue. I was rushed to Marigat hospital and referred to Kabarnet hospital for specialised treatment where I was admitted for more than three weeks,” she explained.
“I am now a poor woman. I have nowhere to go and I am also nursing a gunshot injury. As we speak, my left leg is so swollen and cannot allow me to sit or stand for long. I am still having nightmares of the fateful day and I have resorted to saying that I will not go back to that village come what may. Let me just live in these makeshift tents no matter the challenges,” said the elderly woman.
To worsen her situation, she was widowed two years ago after her husband was shot dead while heading to the nearby shopping centre to buy airtime.
Pastor Francis Changwony from Ng’aratuko Village is also nursing gunshot wounds after he was shot in the left hand by bandits while rescuing his uncle on April 18, 2022 after being attacked by bandits who had made away with more than 54 cows in a raid.
The cleric was among 10 other men who had pursued the stolen livestock when the attackers shot at George Chebor and every one fled for safety.
“Others fled but I remained behind with three other men to save my injured uncle. We waded through the thick bushes and I was shot on the shoulder with the bullet penetrating through my back. Those in my company responded and took me to the tarmac where I was taken to hospital,” said Pastor Changwony of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God (PAG).
He was taken to Kabarnet hospital and later referred to MTRH where he was admitted for more than three weeks.
“After the attack, my left hand became partially paralysed and I cannot hold anything with it. My 30 goats were also stolen in a raid and I am now displaced, living in Loboi, Baringo South,” said the cleric.
Micah Kipsang, a police reservist from Loruk in Baringo North is also nursing a fresh gunshot wound after he was shot in an ambush at Lemuyek in Baringo North on February 11, 2024.
Micah was among security officers who had accompanied the county security team led by the county commissioner Stephen Kutwa, County Police Commander Julius Kiragu and Baringo North Sub-County Police Commander Fredrick Odinga for a routine patrol in the banditry prone area.
They were ambushed and Odinga’s car, which the NPR had boarded was sprayed by bullets- he sustained a gunshot injury after he was on his left leg.
“I was admitted to the Baringo County Referral Hospital for a week and I am still nursing the wound. I am still using a walking stic,” said Mr Kipsang.
Vincent Akeno from Ng’aratuko village in Baringo North was also shot on December 3,2022 while pursuing more than 400 goats that had been stolen by raiders.
“I was among some men that had pursued some stolen livestock after bandits struck our village. In the event, we were ambushed by the criminals and they shot me on the buttocks at close range. There were more than 50 criminals but luckily, police reservists came to my rescue and I was taken to the hospital,” said Mr Akeno.
Akeno was admitted to the Baringo County Referral hospital for more than two months. He was assisted by local leaders and well-wishers who settled his medical bills.
The spate of attacks have sparked a mass exodus of people from affected villages to safer areas with learning most affected.
