Bandits kill two, steal herd of cattle in Samburu North

Two people were on Friday, February 2evening killed and more than a thousand herd of cattle stolen by armed bandits in Suyian area of Samburu North.

The cattle raiders, suspected to be from the neighbouring community also drove away one thousand two hundred goats.

In the Friday evening incident, three people suffered gunshot wounds after more than one hundred rustlers ambushed the herders who were taking their livestock back home from Namuranyang grazing field.

Samburu County Red Cross Coordinator Maurice Oyango confirmed that two people succumbed to gunshot wounds while the injured were rushed to a dispensary in Barsaloi.

He added that locals had joined hands and intensified efforts to search of the stolen livestock.

Suyian location chief, Karoli Lalaur said that efforts by the community in trying to avert the raid were futile as administration police officers based at Suyian AP post failed to respond to the community’s distress call.

He narrated the armed rustlers barricaded a route connecting Suyian village to the grazing field as others drove away the stolen livestock.

Lalaur added that the bandits overpowered all the villagers, armed conservancy rangers and national police reservists in the more than two-hour fierce gun fight.

The chief lamented that this was the third time such an incident was happening in the region in a span of less than one year.

Nursing officer in charge of Barsaloi dispensary, Harun Kebut affirmed that the facility received the patients.

A ten-year-old girl sustained a left leg injury, a 16-year-old boy was injured on the right hand while a 20-year-old boy sustained thigh injuries.

‘’We were able to stabilize one of them and we referred the other two to Maralal for specialized treatment,’’ said Kebut.

This is as Ndoto ward MCA Rais Letora blamed the police for laxity when it comes to responding to cattle rustling cases.

“We have a police post two kilometers from where the bandits hit but they intentionally failed to respond.” he said.

The MCA called on the internal security CS Fred Matiangi to prioritize the eradication of cattle rustling in the county to avoid further loss of life and property.

‘’We are not ruling out that the police might be colluding with the rustlers but it meets more than the eye that whenever there is a cattle raid here the police land cruiser is away, this is the third time now,’’ said the legislator.

Further, the area governor Moses Lenolkulal called on the urgent need to find a permanent solution to the incessant bandit raids.

“We need to end the continuous mourning of our people because of few known criminal elements and I call on internal security CS to intervene immediately.” Lenolkulai said.