Baringo Member of County Assembly together with a parliamentary aspirant for Tiaty constituency have been shot dead by masked gunman in Marigat.
Loyamorok Ward MCA Frederick Kibet Cheretei together with Simon Kitamba popularly known as Pepe were shot dead last night while in a group of five others at Alfa bar and restaurant in Marigat near the junction to Kabarnet town.
According to Baringo County Commissioner Peter Okwanyo, two masked men, one with an AK47 and another with a panga stormed one of the shades where the deceased and others were having drinks and opened fire on the two.
“The armed man first shot at the MCA then Kitamba and all died on the spot,” said Okwanyo.
Okwanyo said as patrons and revellers scampered for safety, the masked men proceeded and burned the vehicles belonging to the duo.
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“They also burned vehicle registration number KBT 367F Suzuki belonging to the late MCA and another vehicle registration number UAG 766D Toyota land cruiser belonging to the late Kitamba after shattering its windscreen,” said Okwanyo.
An investigator told The Standard team that before burning Kitamba’s vehicle, the killers broke the windscreen and picked a bag whose contents they are still investigating.
He said police collected from the scene five spent cartridges as investigations continue to unravel killers and the motive.
Kitamba was Jubilee aspirant for Tiaty constituency as current MP Asman Kamama was also seeking to retain his seat through the Jubilee party.
The Standard team found traces of blood, broken chairs and unfinished drinks still in the glasses at the scene of the incident. Unpaid bills were also still on the table where the deceased with five others were making merry before the killers shot them.
A witness said the masked men did not utter a word and seemed to have been monitoring activities of the men they had marked for killing.
“There were revellers all over the shades within the popular joint which was recently opened and the killers went straight to where the seven were,” said the witness who did not want to be named.
He said the killers went ahead and burnt the vehicles of the two before disappearing.
“They exactly knew what they were doing and were not in a hurry after shooting the duo they had time to locate their vehicles and burn them to ashes before leaving,” said the source.
Following the killings, tension is high in the area which in the recent past has been affected by cattle rustling. On Thursday evening, a teacher at Kapindasum primary school in Baringo South was shot dead by suspected Pokot bandits.
The escalating insecurity in the region forced Internal Security Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery to call for a meeting with region leaders yesterday and which was attended by Baringo Senator Gideon Moi, Governor Ben Cheboi and County Assembly Speaker William Kamket.
Kamama despite having been invited snubbed the meeting. He is the Chairman of the powerful National assembly committee on national security.
