Insecurity in Laikipia has been on the rise in the recent couple of days with bandits engaging police officers in gunfights. So far, seven people have been reported dead and hundreds left homeless.
As of yesterday, schools were closed including Merigwiti Primary School in Laikipia West which was torched by bandits.
Interior CS Fred Matiangi declared a dusk till dawn curfew in the region in a bid to flash out the bandits while marking it a disturbed area.
Weighing in on the same, Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya while appearing for a TV interview revealed that the bandits who were engaging police officers in gunfights were heavily armed with machine guns that were sophisticated and only used in international wars. This, he added, made it impossible to contain the insecurity situation.
https://twitter.com/RoadAlertsKE/status/1435475660965879815
Read: Rift Valley Regional Commander Imposes 6PM Curfew In Three Counties Over Insecurity
Natembeya’s remarks have ignited mixed reactions from netizens with some questioning the ability of the government to protect its citizens.
For instance, Natembeya’s statements according to a section of netizens have been interpreted as “The Kenyan police are using substandard weapons hence impossible to fight bandits and restore security in Laikipia.”
Kenyans are now calling on the security forces to team up and use better forces to restore peace in the region and help hundreds of people in the region get back to their normal lives.
Here are some reactions from Twitter:
Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya has hinted that the Bandits in Laikipia are highly armed with heavy machine guns that are not equal to what the police have like AK 47 , making it difficult to contain them , Why can't the military intervene once and for all ?
— Frank Mtetezi (ʙᴀꜰ)🇰🇪 (@FrankMtetezi) September 7, 2021
https://twitter.com/MzeeKiborr/status/1435330554572857347
Natembeya should be more serious with security he seems unable to deliver @FredMatiangi should either transfer or fire him .
— Kibet Benard (@KibetBenard_) September 7, 2021
As per the Natembeya story,who is arming these militia in laikipia,kapedo and tiatty…handing M16 guns to groups of youth, guns that the national police don't own?
— King Luther 👑 (@naya_biggie) September 7, 2021
https://twitter.com/Shawn_Tuesday/status/1435487425715912706
Email your news TIPS to Editor@kahawatungu.com or WhatsApp +254707482874. You can also find us on Telegram through www.t.me/kahawatungu
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
