Defense Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has vowed to employ all necessary measures to eradicate the menace of banditry in several counties in Kenya.
Addressing attendees at a fundraiser event in Mt. Elgon, Bungoma County on Sunday, April 14th, Duale reiterated the commitment of the Kenya Kwanza government to stamp out banditry and criminal gangs in the country.
"The President has put it in our manifesto, that this is the administration that will eradicate banditry and criminal gangs in our country," Duale declared.
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Adding;
"Whatever it takes, whether we use our special forces, whether we use the Kenya Airforce, the NPS and other forces, firmly and decisively will deal with banditry in the seven counties of North Rift. We will treat bandits the way we treat Al Shabaab."
The severity of the issue was also echoed by Kimili MP Didmus Barasa, who highlighted the impact of banditry on residents, particularly on education.
"We cannot accept that out of 290 constituencies, only one or two constituencies shule zimefungwa kwa sababu ya banditry."
Barasa advocated for the public execution of one group of bandits to serve as an example.
"Hawa bandits wanahitaji tu ndege moja ile ya jeshi ile kubwa ya kubeba watu 15, wale wezi wa ng'ombe wakamatwe wawekwe ndani alafu ndege iende juu karibu na mbinguni. Alafu mmoja achukuliwe atupwe nje. Kabla ndege ifike chini, bandits wote utaambiwa mahali wako, mahali wanafanya training, vile wanapanga, vile wanafanya maneno yao," Barasa said.
Loosely translated as;
"These bandits just need that large military plane that can carry 15 people, those cattle thieves should be caught and put inside, and then the plane should fly up near the heavens. And one of them should be taken and thrown out. Before the plane reaches the ground, all the bandits will be told where they are, where they train, how they plan, how they do their things."
Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa says public execution of one bandit is the solution to the banditry menace. #TV47News @KWALANDA pic.twitter.com/UU3Yuyn8TN— TV47 (@tv47news) April 14, 2024
GSU camp in fight against bandtry
In March, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki officially opened the Kosile GSU Camp aimed at tackling the rampant banditry orchestrated by livestock thieves in five villages within Baringo North Constituency: Namba, Ng'aratuko, Kagir, Yatya, and Kosile.
This came following a string of attacks that resulted in the deaths of 15 people and the displacement of hundreds more in Saimo Soi, Baringo North.
Furthermore, the CS implemented an overhaul in the deployment strategy of various units operating in the area, including the General Service Unit (GSU), the Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU), and the Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU).
