Laikipia leaders to deal with bandits 

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Calls to beef up security in parts of Laikipia have been made with the locals seeking additional police reservists in the villages. The burial of Daniel Karicho in Kariunga village in Segera ward, in Laikipia North saw the locals demanding the leadership in the county to concentrate on security matters.

 They told MPs Mwangi Kiunjuri (Laikipia East) and Sara Korere (Laikipia North) that they are supposed to do more for the purpose of beefing up security, as they are faced with myriad challenges.

Samuel Ngunjiri said the leadership should move fast and push the government to arrest the situation. “Death of Karicho is a pointer of the threat the locals are facing in matters pertaining to security,” said Ngunjiri as he mourned the late police reservist.

Jane Mukami said the localities in Muramati, Nginyii, Ethi among others are bandits, which requires the government to put in strong measures to restore security. “These are areas prone to bandits and at night the residents are in the farms chasing away the marauding elephants,” said Mukami.

The leaders called on the government to take elaborate measures to deal with the insecurity, to save the locals from sharing rooms with their livestocks. Kiunjuri on his part said a lot will be done to restore security in the area through recruitment of additional police reservists as President William Ruto directed when he addressed a meeting in Rumuruti.

“One thing is that the drunkard police officers be removed with immediate effects as they have not been of any help to the locals when bandits attack,” said Kiunjuri.

 Kiunjuri, who was accompanied by a section of MCAs said if no action is taken, they will move into the nearby ranches and clear the bushes that have provided the safe havens for the bandits. “We need a meeting with the ranchers on May 1, there we shall plan on how the bush clearing will be affected. Mindy Ranch has been a problem in the Kariunga area as the bandits are known to hide in its thickets,” disclosed Kiunjuri.

Korere said the insecurity has caused the lives of many people, and thus needs to be addressed by the government with a further delay. “What irks the locals is that Anti Stock Theft Unit police at Naibor have turned to harass motorists playing along Dol Dol Nanyuki road,” said Korere.

 The following leaders have censured the government over its inability to contain the growing insecurity in the county, with calls to reinforce the existing police stations. Others present were Jane Kagiri(Laikipia), and Senator John Kinyua and Governor Joshua Irungu who said the issues pertaining insecurity will be followed to the latter.