Nairobi, Kenya, Feb 21- Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki now says security forces will set up camp in the bandit-infested North Rift until the menace is eradicated.
Kindiki stated that the government will ensure the security agencies maintain their presence in the region, even once the ongoing Operation Maliza Uhalifu North Rift comes to an end.
Kindiki who spoke to a local media house said that the State is even mulling the upscaling of its security presence to get rid of the marauding gangs who have wreaked havoc in the region for decades.
“We are in North as the security apparatus of Kenya to stay. We are not coming back. We are there to stay for good,” he said.
The Interior CS singled out the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons as the main challenge in the fight against banditry.
“It is complex to try and deal with gun culture and the orgy of death which is in that part of the country but we have determined that we must in the shortest time possible run over those criminals, get them out of wherever they are and make sure that they stop killing people,” Kindiki said Monday.
He added that even though the Kerio Valley Belt- Turkana, Samburu, Baringo, Laikipia, Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot Counties have been policed before, the government is looking to change its tack to ensure peace is restored in the area.
CS Kindiki stated that they will be seeking to tackle the structural systemic issues that have led to the prevalence of banditry d cattle rustling.
Kindiki’s statement comes a week after the Government declared a month-long curfew in parts of the North Rift region following increased cases of insecurity in the area.
The dusk-to-dawn curfew which took effect on February 14 was paved way for a major security operation to pacify the area that has witnessed a rise in banditry and cattle rustling in recent months.
“Under this Order, there shall be no public gatherings, processions or movement, either alone or as a group during the period of the curfew except as has been permitted in writing by the Inspector General of the National Police Service,” read a gazette notice signed by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki.
The operation officially commenced last Friday, following the expiry of three-day amnesty period granted to bandits and holders of unlicensed fire arms by the government.
The security operation involves security agencies drawn from different units including the Kenya Defense Forces.
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