Dozens of multiagency teams have been mobilised to pursue attackers who shot dead a chief in Chipilat, Tiaty Constituency, Baringo County.
The administrator met his death while on a mission to recover stolen livestock. This prompted
The gunmen escaped with an unknown number of animals, witnesses and police said. The chief was shot while leading a team in engaging bandits who had raided Ngaratuko area on Thursday evening, local officials said.
His body was discovered on early Friday morning and moved to a local mortuary. He is the second person to be killed in the area in a week as bandits persist in attacks.
Baringo County Police Commander Julius Kiragu confirmed the incident, saying they had deployed more personnel to pursue the gang. The new team sent to the area includes special forces.
More other personnel have been mobilised to hunt down the gunmen, police headquarters said. The area is among those under ongoing Operation Maliza Uhalifu North Rift.
The operation has led to a general decline in banditry attacks in the larger north rift and other surrounding areas in the past year. At least 172 illegal firearms were last year 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.
The operation has led to a 62% 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 said.
During the same period, 250 suspects, including 14 political leaders, were arrested and prosecuted. 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.
The gangs behind the attacks, however, keep breaching the operations for attacks.
