This archive report was first published on 14 July 2019.
North Rift leaders have called on the government to allow them to find solutions to the insecurity plaguing the region, citing the failure of Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i and Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho to address the issue.
Speaking at Cheptulel Boys Secondary School on the West Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet border, Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi accused the two of abdicating their roles and engaging in 2022 succession politics.
Mr Sudi claimed that he has been trying to reach Mr Kibicho for four months to discuss security matters in the North Rift, but has been ignored. “For four months I have looked for Kibicho to discuss security matters in the North Rift in vain. I have sent him text messages and called him, but he never answers,” he said.
The MP alleged that Dr Matiang'i and Mr Kibicho have not come up with effective security strategies to curb cattle rustling in volatile areas, and wondered why security personnel had not been deployed to the region.
Mr Sudi said most residents in the banditry-prone region are peaceful people and that only a few elements possess illegal firearms. “We are now asking the police to allow us as leaders to look for our ways to deal with the insecurity. We can use other means because our people will not be killed as we watch. We can find alternatives,” he added.
Sigor MP Peter Lochakapong also called on security officers to cooperate with local leaders in tackling insecurity in the area, saying that the peace caravan started on Monday in Eldoret will help curb insecurity in the region.
