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Security patrols begin on Isiolo-Merti road after Form 3 girl shot dead

Isiolo County Commissioner Geoffrey Omoding addresses journalists at his office in Isiolo town. (Photo: Waweru Wairimu)

By Waweru Wairimu | Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Preliminary investigations showed that the criminals were on a mission to raid the Gotu and Kachiuru areas within the Isiolo-Meru border.

The government has announced the start of security patrols on the Isiolo-Merti road following Monday's killing of a Form Three girl in a bandit attack at the Babala area.

The St Paul's Kiwanjani secondary school student was travelling home for the holiday in a bus when bandits suspected to have come from neighbouring Samburu County attacked the vehicle, killing her on the spot. She had sat in the co-driver's seat.

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County Commissioner Geoffrey Omoding said day and night patrols, which will also involve police reservists, would be intensified along the stretch to prevent similar attacks in the future.

Terming the incident an isolated case, the administrator assured residents of their safety while plying the route which is the most preferred by motorists compared to the Archers Post-Losesia-Kom-Merti one that snakes through Samburu County.

Preliminary investigations, he said, showed that the criminals were on a mission to raid the Gotu area and Kachiuru within the Isiolo-Meru border.

They are suspected to have escaped from the Losesia-Kom stretch in Samburu where a security operation is underway.

"They (attackers) are being pursued while investigations into the motive of the attack continue," he said, adding that the State had procured modern equipment such as armoured vehicles to deal with cattle rustling.

Omoding lamented the delay in reporting incidents by the public, terming it an impediment to prompt response by authorities to the attacks.

"They (residents) should promptly report any suspicious persons within their locality and whenever attacks occur so that we immediately deploy our officers to deal with the criminals before they vanish," Omoding appealed.

He put local politicians on notice for allegedly sympathising with the criminals, saying those found culpable would face the full force of the law.

To evade arrests by authorities, criminals from Samburu County have been colluding with those in Isiolo to unleash terror on the Meru side and facilitate the movement of the stolen animals that in most cases are disposed of at throw-away prices and ferried to markets in Nairobi.

"We will not spare any criminal regardless of the community they come from. A criminal is a criminal," Omoding said.

There have also been claims some rogue chiefs and police officers were colluding with the rustlers by offering them protection in exchange for part of the loot, derailing the government's efforts to end the vice.

At the same time, the County Commissioner announced that 70 out of 120 camels stolen within the Mlango area in Burat ward last week had so far been recovered.

"We have already received some names of suspected criminals and are pursuing them," he noted.

Meanwhile, a section of local leaders and residents want chiefs and elders within banditry-prone areas held responsible for failure to provide crucial information to security agencies whenever attacks occur.

"Stolen livestock cannot be driven past a location to neighbouring areas without the knowledge of the elders and local chiefs. They should be investigated over alleged collusion with the criminals," youth leader Osman Shariff said.