The Laikipia County Commissioner (CC), Daniel Nyameti has warned local politicians against inciting area residents to resist the government’s move to flush out bandits and restore security.
Nyameti said that local politicians were frustrating the government’s efforts to restore peace and sanity especially in the volatile Laikipia North Sub County where cattle rustling and general insecurity was rife by mobilizing residents to resist the move.
Speaking on Tuesday in Nanyuki town during a prayer session for Members of County Assembly to usher the beginning of the third session, Nyameti warned that the government would not hesitate to take action on any politician inciting residents to resist peace efforts.
The CC cited a recent directive by the government to flush out illegal herders who had invaded parts of Laikipia from a neighbouring county as one of the moves that was being resisted by local politicians.
“Recently we met with elders from some of the warring communities and a resolve was made to evict herders from a neighbouring county who have invaded Laikipia at Naibung’a area but now local politicians are up against the move urging the herders to resist the move,” the County Commissioner said.
The administrator vowed not to let peace efforts be politicized, adding that the operation to flush out the illegal herders and other invaders from neighbouring counties would continue relentlessly.
He urged residents of the affected areas to cooperate with security agencies by sharing information that would be helpful in ensuring that peace was restored in the county.
“A big contingent of anti-stock theft officers, Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU) and Kenya Police Reservists (KPR) has been deployed in the area and have managed to recover hundreds of stolen livestock even as far as from neighbouring counties. Let us support these security agencies,” he added.
The CC assured area residents that peace would soon be restored in the affected areas as security personnel were closely monitoring all hotspot areas such as Ol Moran and the Laikipia Nature Conservancy where cattle rustling was rife.
Nyameti’s remarks came as the Laikipia North MP, Sarah Lekorere was leading hundreds of her constituents in demonstrating the killing of a local herdsman by suspected bandits last week.
The residents were protesting at the killing of a 22-year-old herdsman identified as Naapai Lentir at Tiamamut village at the border of Laikipia and Isiolo Counties on Monday last week.
Lekorere warned that if the bandits, believed to hail from a neighbouring county, would not be apprehended soon, she would mobilize her constituents to block roads passing through the constituency to other counties.
Governor Ndiritu Muriithi who was also present urged residents to work closely with the national and county governments for peace and prosperity to be realized.
By Martin Munyi
