Baringo County Commissioner Abdirisack Jaldesa has commissioned 20 National Police Reservists (NPR) recruited and deployed to insecurity prone areas of Baringo North Sub County to assist other security agencies in restoration of peace and stability in the area.
Jaldesa said that, that number was part of the 80 NPRs commissioned by Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Mohammed Maalim on Tuesday last week at Lamaiwe area of Mochongoi division as part of the measures the government has put in place to end persistent insecurity in the county.
The County Commissioner flanked by the county security team said that the recruits would be under the command of an Officer in-Charge of a Station (OCS) Baringo North.
Jaldesa noted that in the sub-county, areas like Yatya, Chepkesin, Kapturo and Chemoe were among the most volatile and it was expected that the recruits would be a game changer in terms of insecurity.
He encouraged the reservist officers to immediately embark on their new responsibilities and be more vigilant in their line of duty.
“Be on your toes every day to see this insecurity menace come to an end. We believe in you and we are very optimistic that you will be able to tackle insecurity within Baringo North,” he told the reservists.
He said the NPRs would team up with the formations including Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU), Anti Stock Theft Units (ASTU) and General Service Unit (GSU) as a way of complimenting efforts of security personnel spread across the banditry prone areas.
Jaldesa noted that with the NPRs being natives, they would be able to act as a quick response whenever the cattle rustlers and bandits strike and attack the prone zones.
The county boss said that the recruits were much familiar with the rugged terrain compared to the already established units and with that knowledge, they would be able to help by working hand in hand with the units to restore sanity in the hard hit areas.
He added that the recruits have received enough training to enable them boost security in the affected zones.
He further said that the incessant attacks in the sub-county have seen hundreds of livestock stolen, innocent persons killed, displacement of families, complete ruin of livelihoods and abandonment of farm lands which would otherwise have been productive.
Raphael Keitany, a local, expressed sigh of relief and commended the government for the initiative of deploying NPRs stating that they would be able to protect the people and their properties even before the police officers set foot on the affected areas.
Keitany however blamed the absence of NPRs in the region on the increased attacks in the past two years stating that the attackers not only stole from them, but also captured their ancestral lands making them Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
He added that with the help of recruits, establishment of security posts, camps and patrol, life would be much easier unlike in the past years before the NPRs were disbanded.
By Jebichii Chepkwony
