The Kericho County Commissioner, Mr. Gilbert Kitiyo, has disclosed that the recent series of criminal acts within the Kapsoit and Kipsitet areas, where a boda boda rider lost his life and two other people were injured, have been linked to a terrorist gang operating between Kisumu City and the Oyugis area in the Nyanza region.
Mr. Kitiyo said that the gang terrorising the residents of Kericho was not from the locality and was in police uniform.
Mr. Kitiyo, who was addressing this year’s 61st Madaraka Day celebrations, whose theme was ‘’agriculture and food security,” at Kipsitet Market in Kericho today, assured the residents that the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) was in pursuit of the gang, and soon the culprits would be arrested and prosecuted.
The CC, who read the president’s speech on Madaraka Day, appealed to the public to assist the authorities in the area by volunteering vital information on matters of security, saying that the police or security officers cannot fully provide security to all people without their input as the criminals are living in their midst.
On illicit brews, the CC said that the vice was still rampant in the area and urged the members of the public to avoid taking the brews since they were harmful to their health, noting that many are in need of rehabilitation in a bid to regain their past health.
Mr. Kitiyo publicly read out the names of the notorious illicit brewers in the area and warned them that the long arm of the law would soon catch up with them if they did not abandon the graft. He directed the chiefs and their assistants to follow the individuals who were behind illicit brewing.
While answering the local residents’ appeal for the formation of Soin sub-county independently from Soin Sigowet sub-county, Mr. Kitiyo urged them to follow the normal procedures through a request from the leaders meeting and forward the request for consideration.
On climate change, he emphasised on the presidential directive to grow more than Sh15 billion of trees in the next 10 years in order to mitigate climate change in the country.
He added that communities should jointly work in unionism to grow more trees.
On teenage pregnancies and early marriages, the CC revealed there have been incidents of school-going girls having been impregnated by boda boda riders, forcing them to drop out of school.
He warned the culprits that they will soon be apprehended and charged according to the law.
The Kericho Governor, Dr. Erick Mutai, who spoke at the celebrations, said that in the financial year 2022-2023, a total of Sh514,777,680 was used to open up 181 kilometres of new access roads to motor-able standards across all 30 civic wards in the County, while maintaining another 307.8 kilometres of previously done access roads totaling 488 kilometres during the period under review.
“The construction of the County Aggregation and Industrial Park at Soin Sigowet Sub-County will unlock the industrial potential of this previously marginalised region of Soin Sigowet and its environs and will ease the transportation of goods and raw materials because the proposed Standard Gauge Railway will have a station in the area.” Dr Mutai.
Dr. Mutai said that to alleviate the poor living conditions of vulnerable members of our society, he has invested and distributed over 300,000 tea seedlings, 400,000 coffee seedlings, and over 20,000 avocado seedlings to over 10,000 vulnerable families. Further, coffee farmers have benefited from the construction of the coffee warehouse at Kipkelion coffee mill, constructed by the county government of Kericho.
The event was attended by, among others, the Women Representative Kericho Ms. Beatrice Kemei, the area MP, Mr. Justice Kemei, Deputy Governor Eng Fred Kirui, and Kapsoit MCA Paul Chirchir Tarimbo.
By Dominic Cheres and Sharon Cheruiyot
