More than 3,000 young warriors and cattle rustlers have abandoned banditry in the Kerio Valley in three years.
Elgeyo Marakwet Deputy Governor Wesley Rotich said the focus on empowerment and poverty alleviation programmes is helping transform the lives of many young bandits. Most are from Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot.
“So far we have a very big number of youth who have come out to be assisted so they transform their lives and engage in beneficial economic activities," Rotich said.
He has been passionate in leading young men to change their ways and has been working closely with church leaders.
Rotich said opening up Kerio Valley region through programmes including rural electrification and supporting youth through organised groups will help them engage in economic activities.
“We want similar programmes extended to all other counties affected by banditry," Rotich told the Star on the phone.
Transformation of the youth has helped reduce banditry in most areas, except Kapedo where a security operation is still underway to arrest bandits and what CS Fred Matiang'i calls organised criminal gangs
Governors in the North Rift are also pushing for a master plan to end crime in the Kerio Valley and revive economy.
County chiefs in the North Rift Economic Bloc want to work with the national government and other stakeholders to draft a blueprint on security.
The aim is to wipe out the age-old problem of cattle rustling, and the newer problem of criminal gangs, and open the region for development.
The governors last week had demanded they be involved in finding a solution to the crisis in Kapedo where security officers and others recently were killed and some wounded. The rest of the Kerio Valley corridor is also a problem.
“While we support the security operation in Kapedo, as governors we feel we need to get to the root cause of banditry and deal with it firmly,"Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Alex Tolgos said.
Noreb is chaired by Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago who is organising a conference to discuss insecurity and general economic revival from the effects of Covid-19.
Banditry, criminality, boundary disputes, feuds over water and pasture, clan violence and political incitement have been blamed for the insecurity in Kapedo and other parts of the region.
Tolgos said poverty, lack of jobs and development, illiteracy and marginalisation have promoted banditry, hence, economic uplifting and security are essential.
Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, Samburu, West Pokot and Turkana are affected.
Speaking in Eldoret, Tolgos said they had asked Interior CS Matiang'i to meet them and other political leaders to find alternatives to the massive military intervention underway.
Matiang'i has said the problem in Kapedo is not just old-fashioned banditry but organised criminal gangs.
“It's fine for government to crack down on armed gangs and bring them to book so other people can live in peace. But leaders should be involved in putting in place lasting solutions," Tolgos said.
Rift Valley regional coordinator George Natembeya has said the ongoing security operation will only end when the bandits have been wiped out.
“For many years, we have been postponing this problem but this time we are there until we find the criminals and talk to them. We will not retreat," Natembeya said.
In the last few years, more than 50 people - innocent residents and police - have been killed by gangs.
(Edited by V. Graham)
