The recovered rifles/HANDOUT
Two rifles were recovered in a police operation in the Achers Post area, Samburu County.
The weapons included an Ak47 rifle and a G3 rifle. The police said they also recovered nine bullets and a separate magazine from a suspect’s house in the December 26 operation.
Police said the team manning the Kalama multi-agency roadblock received information about an individual suspected to be having guns in the Waso area.
This followed a robbery incident in which a man welding a rifle entered a shop and robbed attendants and some customers at gunpoint.
The drama was captured on CCTV cameras at the premises. Teams were sent to the area in search of the suspect behind the drama and guns.
The recovered rifles/HANDOUT
The officers managed to recover the weapons, but the suspected owner had escaped the house. The weapons were collected and presented to DCI for ballistic examination.
Police want to know where the weapons have been used in crime as a hunt for the suspect is ongoing.
The area is categorized under places under multiagency operation to address cases of cattle rustling.
At least 172 illegal firearms have been recovered in ongoing Operation Maliza Uhalifu North Rift. The operation has also seen a significant drop in cattle rustling cases, the Ministry of Interior said Wednesday.
“The operation has led to a 62 per cent reduction in the number of cattle rustling occurrences, with cases dropping from 63,054 stolen livestock to 23,668—a decline of 39,386 heads of cattle.”
“Notably, 172 illegal firearms were collected during mop-up exercises, and 10,173 livestock have been recovered,” a statement from the Ministry of Interior reads.
One of the recovered rifles/HANDOUT
Launched in February 2023, Operation Maliza Uhalifu North Rift is a government security initiative that targeted escalating banditry, cattle rustling, and violence in nine counties, including Baringo, Turkana, Samburu, Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot, Marsabit, Laikipia, Isiolo, and Meru.
Hot spot areas in these counties were designated as “disturbed” and “dangerous” in the operation that brought together the National Police Service (NPS) and the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in a coordinated effort to restore peace and stability in the region.
