Military criticised on abandoned explosives
What you need to know:
- On Monday last week, three children from Solar area in Tiaty Sub-County died on the spot after an object they were playing with and which later turned out to be an explosive went off.
- The MP threatened to mobilise local leaders to take legal action over the matter and to petition the government to compensate any resident injured as a result of such explosions.
The military is on the spot over alleged abandonment of explosives used for training soldiers in Baringo County.
Locals leaders condemned the habit, saying it has exposed residents and their livestock to great danger.
They called on the government to compensate people who have been affected by the explosives.
The explosives have left more than 10 people dead in the past three years alone, sparking fear among locals.
On Monday last week, three children from Solar area in Tiaty Sub-County died on the spot after an object they were playing with and which later turned out to be an explosive went off.
The two boys aged 11 and a girl aged 14 were herding goats when they came across the explosive.
The debris of the device was later collected for ballistic examination.
“It is unacceptable for innocent people to suffer as a result of reckless abandonment of explosives.
“The officers should always ensure that the training grounds are safe before leaving the site to avert more of such unnecessary disasters,” Baringo North MP Mr William Cheptumo told the Nation on phone yesterday.
The MP threatened to mobilise local leaders to take legal action over the matter and to petition the government to compensate any resident injured as a result of such explosions.
In July last year, an eight-year-old boy died instantly at Kong’asis village in Loruk location of Baringo North Sub-County after a grenade he was playing with exploded.
The incident happened barely a week after an unexploded bomb was found by a primary school teacher at the nearby Kampi Ya Samaki Shopping Centre.
Baringo County Police Commander Peter Ndung’u said that explosives experts have been deployed in the affected areas to carry out investigations.
He cautioned residents living around military camps to avoid handling strange devices they come across as they may be explosives.
“We are in the process of collecting all unused explosive devices in the area. We call on the residents to cooperate and report to police any unfamiliar object they come across to avoid more disasters,” Mr Ndung’u told the Nation.
