By Debra Rono
Hundreds of residents have fled their homes in Yatta and Rormooch in Baringo North, Baringo County following the deaths of two school-going children who were shot dead by suspected bandits in the Yatta area on Monday evening.
The two were killed at the home of area chief Jackson Keitany before they made away with herds of cattle. One resident Prisca Kiburet expressed her helplessness claiming that they have had to do the impossible just to survive.
“As you can see, I do not have any of my clothes or any of my belongings, people have moved away and I have had to leave my grandmother in the bushes because it has become difficult to walk further,” she lamented.
Schools have not been spared either as students have been forced to go home early due to the ongoing insecurity, seven schools have been closed down due to insecurity. Students from Yatta secondary where one of those killed schooled had to be escorted by officers to Marigat town as they headed home fleeing from their school.
The school principal Francis Cheptile revealed that they had to close school before the mid-term break because of the situation “They have had to go home today, they were supposed to go on the 29th but because of insecurity we saw it fit they go home today”
This comes even as Cabinet Secretary of Interior and administration of national governments Kithure Kindiki visited Samburu County to meet with security stakeholders after suspected bandits shot dead MCA Paul Leshimpiro.
Speaking after the meeting Mr. Kindiki assured Kenyans that the operation end insecurity on the North Rift will go on and that the government will not withdraw the security officers from the areas. Kindiki went ahead to ask politicians to separate security issues from politics as security officers are doing their best to restore sanity in the volatile areas.
This brings to 12 the number of people killed by bandits in 2 months in Baringo County and 10 in Samburu County.