Two children fatally shot in suspected banditry attack in Laikipia’s Naibor area
FILE IMAGE OF A POLICE LINE
Two children aged seven and 17 were shot and killed in a banditry attack in a village in Laikipia County.
The gunmen escaped the scene without stealing anything, police and locals said of the November 5, 2025 attack.
The two siblings were grazing their livestock when they were shot at close range by gunmen who escaped the scene.
Police who visited the scene said a knife was recovered a few meters from where the bodies of the two were found.
Tension remained high in the area after the incident as more police officers and members of the National Police Reserve were deployed there to ensure stability.
The area is among those under Operation Maliza Uhalifu aimed at dealing with bandits.
The operation has managed to contain crime in the area and other counties amid persistence.
The operation targets Baringo, West Pokot, Turkana, Samburu, Marsabit, Meru and Isiolo counties. The operation has also been extended to Migori where bandits are increasingly attacking and stealing animals.
Besides retributive reaction, strategic investment and sustainable development have also taken a prominent place among the government’s planned crime control interventions for Kenya’s Northern frontier and the Kerio Valley belt.
There is also an ongoing deradicalization process in the areas, which has borne fruits with some locals surrendering their weapons in Elgeyo Marakwet and Baringo Counties. More than 600 assorted weapons have been surrendered in a two month exercise.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the long-term vision is to empower the communities to actively take part in the war against animal rustling and undertake legitimate nation-building activities.
He said plans to distribute subsidized agricultural inputs and extension services to area residents in a bid to revive farming activities as a source of livelihood.
Murkomen ordered fresh vetting for all National Police Reservists (NPRs) as part of efforts to bolster the operations.
He said there are plans to distribute subsidized agricultural inputs and extension services to area residents in a bid to revive farming activities as a source of livelihood.
“We are coming to dismantle not only the criminals themselves but also to bring down the entire chain that has been the cattle and livestock rustling industry,” he said.
He also announced a new policy shift, which institutionalizes the command structure of the NPR officers, stating they will hence be under the direct command of the Officer Commanding Police Stations (OCS) as part of efforts to enhance their operations.