This archive report was first published on 6 January 2022.
Laikipia County has witnessed a resurgence of cattle rustling, with a recent incident involving a school in Laikipia North Sub County.
On Wednesday night, an unknown number of armed attackers stormed Lukusero primary school in Mukogodo East ward and stole nine cows belonging to the institution.
Laikipia County Commissioner Joseph Kanyiri confirmed the incident, stating that swift action by security personnel yielded in recovering seven of the cows at Mukogodo forest.
"The bandits might have lost the seven cows in the heat of the chase as the animals could have strayed into the forest where they were recovered," Kanyiri said.
Police officers are still pursuing the cattle rustlers, believed to have come from a neighbouring county, and expressed optimism that the remaining animals would be recovered.
The incident has evoked fears of a return of banditry that rocked Ol Moran area last year, resulting in scores of residents killed and others displaced from their homes.
Laikipia County had seen a decline in cases of cattle rustling and banditry in recent months, following a multi-agency security operation in Ol Moran area and the expansive Laikipia Nature Conservancy.
