By: Joseph Mutua Ndonga
Worth Noting:
- In the countdown to 2022 General Election, he left no doubt that he was ready to deal with this matter. Irked by deadly killings of the villagers in Keiyo Valley, Dr Ruto reiterated. The days of bandits are numbered. If you elect me to be your President, I will deal with them decisively and conclusively.
- Dr Ruto is now the President and he has demonstrated he is ready to walk the talk. Reacting to the latest reports of deadly attack in Turkana County that left 11 people including eight General Service Unit [GSU] officers, he repeated the same words.
This is not the first time I have heard the incident of cattle rustling claiming the lives of the law enforcers and innocent Kenyans. This is a recurring problem that has haunted the administrations that has ruled Kenya since independence.
As you know, these deadly attacks have been taking place in certain regions of the vast Rift Valley and Northern Kenya. These areas are mostly dominated by nomadic pastoralist communities.
I remember when President Mwai Kibaki was at the helm of the power, we lost 42 police officers. They had been deployed to pursue stolen animals when they came face to face with heavily armed cattle rustlers.
The officers whom reports indicated were new recruits were not well conversant and used to hostile and tough terrains of Suguta valley.
For the bandits, they knew this place very well because it was one of their hideouts. When they steal animals, this is where they passed them. That is why they managed to spray the officers with bullets and kill them with ease. Besides, reports indicated they had powerful and sophisticated weapons than the officers.
Earlier, during President Daniel Arap Moi’s era many had higher expectations that this menace would be dealt with once and for all. This is because he hailed from the Rift Valley and he was a Kalenjin and some of its sub-trines were involved. His efforts however did not bore much fruits.
As we know, the current President William Ruto is one of those who served the two administrations in various dockets. So, in my view, I have no doubt he learnt big lessons and more importantly on what can be done differently to deal with this problem once for all.
In the countdown to 2022 General Election, he left no doubt that he was ready to deal with this matter. Irked by deadly killings of the villagers in Keiyo Valley, Dr Ruto reiterated. The days of bandits are numbered. If you elect me to be your President, I will deal with them decisively and conclusively.
Dr Ruto is now the President and he has demonstrated he is ready to walk the talk. Reacting to the latest reports of deadly attack in Turkana County that left 11 people including eight General Service Unit [GSU] officers, he repeated the same words.
I have deployed a high powered security team to pursue the bandits. I want to assure you that will get them and they face the full force of law. He spoke after jetting back to the country from the working visit to UK and USA. This showed he was not taking this matter lightly.
When he took the oath of office, he vowed to perform his constitutional duty of protecting the lives of Kenyans and their properties.
As I conclude, this is what I want to tell my fellow Kenyans. For the few days he has been at the helm of power, President Ruto has proved he means well for our country.
However, he cannot succeed if he do it alone. Each of us must their role. For instance, when it comes to dealing with menace of cattle rustling, the communities affected must support his efforts. Some of those involved in this crime are their sons. They must help the law-enforcers to track them down.
I have heard representatives of these communities asking the government to supply them with weapons [guns and ammunition] so that they can defend themselves.
The previous administrations had done this but the situation has never improved. So where does the problems? Reports indicated that some of the hired National Police Reservists [NPRs] were untrustworthy and would end up being the root cause of insecurity in these expansive areas. They would hire out their guns to the bandits. In return, they would mint millions of shillings.
President Ruto is a God fearing leader and with our support I know he will come up with a long lasting solution. I wish him well.
Joseph Mutua Ndonga is a Writer and Political Analyst based in Nairobi
