The disabled are always disadvantaged when bandits wreak havoc in the North Rift.
People leave them to their fate as they flee for their lives.
But a woman, who grew up in the banditry-prone region, seeks to change this narrative by reaching out to this forgotten group.
Joan Bwambok, a businesswoman, is using her resources to offer food and walking aids to the hapless insecurity victims in the banditry-prone Kerio Valley where she grew up.
She said she lost many relatives to Pokot raiders.
Sadly, these people never receive help from the government or well-wishers.
Bandits killed her cousin, Stephen Chelal, in Loruk, Baringo North sub-county.
The police officer met his untimely death while herding his livestock.
In her initiative, Bwambok, through her organization, New Dawn of Hope, has been handing out food and clothing to the victims of banditry and their children.
"I'm doing this purely out of goodwill, not for political gain. I grew up in the banditry-prone region, and most of the victims are my relatives," said Bwambok.
She said she was touched after meeting a woman who has a mobility impairment, Jane Chesang, at Kagir in Baringo North.
"Her crutches were broken, and she had used blankets and clothes to fix them. It instantly hit me that I needed to do something to alleviate the suffering of these people," Bwambok recalls.
The Star established that many people living with disabilities in the banditry-prone region have borne the full brunt of the armed conflicts, which have left over 100 people dead in the past year alone.
Franklin Chelal, a PWD, says life has been tough for the disabled in the region, which has not known peace for many years.
"We live here at the mercy of God. When people flee during raids, we are left to die. We have witnessed many of our counterparts shot dead in cold blood," said Chelal.
He used heavy metal crutches that had nothing to cushion him before Bwambok came to his rescue.
Christine Kibet, another disabled person, said children, the disabled, and the elderly were the most affected during the bloody raids.
"People like us in the remote areas are forgotten. Society cares less about us. Sometimes we go for days without food, not to mention the insecure environment we are exposed to," said Kibet.
Bwambok turned to area chiefs and village elders to get the exact number of people living with disabilities in the porous region.
"I'm currently trying to locate around 20 banditry victims in Baringo County. Most of them are suffering from injuries inflicted by bandits," she told The Star.
"Others are blind, while some even have no hands. They cannot even access medical facilities. These are the issues I'm focusing on," she added.
A spot-check by the Star revealed that perennial banditry has completely shattered the dreams of many learners, with more than 20 schools in Baringo North and Baringo South sub-counties failing to open for the second term due to insecurity.
The worst hit are Chepkesin, Kamwetio, Kobot, Kagir, Yatya, Barsuswo, Mukutani, and Arabal primary schools, which have remained closed since 2005. Kamwetio Primary School in Baringo North has remained closed since 2010.
Government efforts to address the menace have often fallen on deaf ears.
At Mukutani in the Baringo South sub-county alone, there is a contingent of multi-agency security personnel camping in the area.
But their presence has done little to ward off the daring bandits, with last month's killings happening meters away from a heavily guarded General Service Unit (GSU) camp.
