Last Thursday, Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo announced a cash reward of Sh100,000 to anyone with information that will help put faces and a motive to the unexplained killings of civilians in Bungoma and Busia counties.
“We are encouraging any person with information to come forward and their identity will be kept confidential,” he told the public.
Kimaiyo announced that his officers had so far arrested 294 suspects and another 211 persons charged in court. He added that police officers who have ‘overstayed’ in the affected counties and the entire Western, have been transferred to enhance service delivery.
As has become the norm whenever there is insecurity in any part of the country, he went on to ban all night activities and asked boda boda operators in Bungoma and Busia to limit movement to daytime.
On Friday, Deputy President William Ruto made the most high-profile tour of Bungoma, accompanied by elected leaders and warned of dire consequences against the perpetrators of the night-time massacres.
But hardly had his helicopter faded into the distance than leaflets warning of an impending attack at the home of Senate Minority Leader Senator Moses Wetangula, were dropped at his gate.
The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Co-ordinator rightly termed the Bungoma killings crimes against humanity and urged swift and decisive action so that the situation does not become like the Tana Delta mayhem that left scores dead and injured. The Bungoma raiders left 10 people dead and at least 100 injured. And we say, that is still ten too many and should worry all security chiefs.
Wipe them out
We reiterate our position that the taking of the life of any non-combatant who is sleeping peacefully in his house is not acceptable. Anyone spreading terror and disrupting the peace is an enemy of development and must be dealt with using the full force of the law. Such savage attacks must be seen as acts of economic saboteurs.
Like the new administration promised, no part of the country shall be left to become ungovernable because of roving armed bands. Not the secessionist Mombasa Republican Council, hit-and-run bombers of Garissa, machete and spear-wielding arsonists of the Tana Delta, unruly rival gangs in Kisumu town, and certainly not the killers and cattle rustlers of Samburu, Baringo and Turkana counties.
Despite the fact that the Internal Security docket is yet to get a Cabinet nominee, there is ample elbow room to reassure Kenyans of safety. The Kenya Defence Forces are not expected to intervene this time round, therefore, Police have their work cut out now that Mr Ruto has given them express orders to wipe out the marauders.
It also shows there is room for recruitment of more Intelligence officers, increase the Police Service budget, and reassure the country that this is no post-election flare-up and that the police are not overwhelmed by the task at hand.
