Nairobi, Kenya, Mar 13 – The government has revised areas to be evacuated by civilians a day after it ordered evacuation in 27 areas in the North Rift ahead of the intensified joint military and police operation against bandit who have killed hundreds.
In the new order issued late Monday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki excluded Kabelbo, Nakwamoru, Lobokat, Lokoron, Turkwel Escarpment and Ombollion from areas to be vacated for security operation and added Ng’elecha, Losokoni caves, Laramoru Gorges, Karau, Noosidan Escarpment, Rugus caves into the list of areas to be evacuated.
The evacuation will pave way for an intensified security operation to flush out the bandits from their hideouts.
The Interior CS also extended the time to evacuate by a day
“Members of the public should vacate these areas within 24 hours commencing today 13th March 2023 1930 hours,” he said.
He warned that any member of the public found in the areas specified after Tuesday, March 14 2023 1930 hours will be treated as a suspect of armed banditry, or as a suspect of aiding and abetting banditry, or an accessory.
While announcing the new measures on Sunday, Kindiki emphasized that the new measures aim to decisively deal with the bandits who persist in causing the deaths of innocent lives and loss of property.
“We are taking this war to their hideouts by land and air, with all our weight and might and with all the strength that God has given us to effectively defeat this lamentable catalog of crimes against humanity,” he said.
Kindiki noted that “the toxic mix of bad terrain, weapon supply, and banditry leadership” were identified to be among the factors fuelling the activities of the bandits.
The latest measure to tame the banditry menace follows President William Ruto’s directive on March 10, 2023, who then ordered the upscaling of the war on bandits and their networks.
The Ministry of Interior’s official figures indicates that the bandits have killed over 135 innocent Kenyans, including 20 security officers, in the last seven months.
The government recently deployed officers from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to aid their colleagues in the National Police Service (NPS) in conducting the joint security operation to flush out the bandits.
Despite making these efforts, Kindiki criticized the bandits for “continuing to challenge authority with an incredible display of impunity”.
“I assure the people of Kenya that we shall neutralize every bandit who defies the Government and engages in the atrocious killing, maiming, and displacement of people from their homes,” Kindiki said.
