Samburu West Member of Parliament Naisula Lesuuda was overwhelmed by emotions during the vetting of Interior Cabinet Secretary nominee Kithure Kindiki on Tuesday as she expressed concerns over rising cases of banditry attacks in the country.
Lusuuda, a member of the National Assembly Committee on Appointments, said banditry attacks in Northern Kenya, have left many innocent Kenyans dead.
She said the banditry issue has been ignored for far too long as innocent civilians continue to lose their lives and livestock.
Citing a recent attack in Tiaty, the legislator asked the Cabinet nominee to detail his plan to tackle insecurity in Baringo, Samburu and Turkana Counties.
"Just yesterday (Monday) when I was undertaking this important national duty, I received a text that criminals from Tiaty (Baringo County) ambushed herders, injured one person and drove away with cattle," she said.
“This morning they attacked again, as we speak, they have killed one person, two people are missing and they've stolen goods."
Lesuuda calls for action
Lesuuda lamented that despite the Baragoi massacre of 2012 the government has not put in place proper measures to deal with cases of insecurity in Samburu and neighbouring counties.
“This is the daily life of a pastoralist living on the border of a pastoralist living in the border of another pastoralist county. We only act when we lose security officials. When will one life be too much to lose in Northern Kenya? We lost 42 police officers and the only thing we have to show for it is a monument with the names of these fallen heroes,” Lesuuda said.
In his response, Kindiki pledged to re-energise community policing and deal firmly with the perpetrators.
“I will request for facilitation to improve existing capabilities for air and land mobility and protection of officers who keep peace. I will stay focused until this problem is over even if it means coming to live in the North Rift, not for a week or month and we will stay there as long as it is necessary. We will speak less because security does not require speaking but we will follow the law but still do the job,” said Prof Kindiki.
Reacting to concerns of police brutality from Pokot South MP David Pkosing, Kindiki defended government operations saying, criminals must be dealt with accordingly.
"I agree violence is not an option but it’s one of the options when it comes to the banditry issue because how will you engage with a criminal who has stolen cows from an innocent person and is hiding in a gorge?" Kindiki posed.
"Even the most established democracies must use violence to protect the 99% of its citizens against the 1% that want to destroy our democracy. I have no apologies to make about this. Criminals have to be faced as criminals, period!" he added.
