Families count losses after security operation

A house is torched during inter-clan clashes at Eempash village in Transmara West in Narok County. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

The smell of burnt timber still hangs in the air across Ngendalel, Kabusa and Sung’ur villages in Ang’ata Barrikoi Ward.

Twisted iron sheets lie where homes once stood, while traders stare at empty shop fronts that, until days ago, provided food and income for their families.

Hundreds of residents are trying to make sense of a security operation that has left many with little more than memories of what they once owned.

The devastation extends beyond burnt houses and destroyed businesses. It is reflected in anxious parents, traumatised children and families uncertain about how they will rebuild their lives.

The General Service Unit (GSU) operation followed the killing of a police officer, allegedly by cattle rustlers. But residents say the aftermath felt less like a targeted security operation and more like collective punishment.

According to residents, homes were burnt, shops demolished and personal belongings either destroyed or taken away. Cooking pots were punctured, water containers smashed, generators disappeared and business stock looted. Families with no known connection to the killing say they have paid the highest price.

For 35-year-old Gladys Rotich, a widow and mother of four, the pain is indescribable.

She was working on a nearby farm when she received a phone call informing her that her house was on fire. “I rushed home, but there was nothing I could do. Everything was gone- my utensils, maize, clothes, everything,” she recalled, looking at the ashes covering the spot where her home once stood.

Her voice trembled as she asked the question many residents continue to ask. “What did my house do? What did my sufuria do? I am a widow trying to raise my children. Why did I have to lose everything?”

Gladys and her children are now sheltering in a neighbour’s home. The few belongings they managed to save fit into a single sack.

As night falls, she worries about food, the cold and how she will send her children back to school. “I don’t even know where to start,” she said quietly.

A few kilometres away at Ngendalel Shopping Centre, traders are counting losses accumulated over years of sacrifice.

Alfred Mutai stood beside the remains of his shop, struggling to comprehend what had happened. “This shop was my life. I built it slowly, little by little. Every profit I made went back into growing the business. Now everything is gone,” he said.

He said his generator disappeared during the operation, while the structure housing his business was badly damaged.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen visited the area on Wednesday alongside senior government officials and ordered Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja to identify officers involved in the Kabusa operation for legal action.

Murkomen said officers had acted unlawfully by destroying the property of innocent residents. “All officers who carried out this act, I will ensure they face strict legal action,” he said.

The CS also gave residents of Ang’ata Barrikoi, Kuria East, Kuria West and Emurua Dikirr seven days to surrender illegal firearms. “After that, do not blame the government for what it will do. We will also deal with individuals found in possession of illegal firearms,” he warned.

Murkomen further announced that the government would build a new house for Gladys Rotich.

For many residents, however, promises of accountability and assistance offer little immediate comfort as they struggle to rebuild from the ashes.

The latest operation has revived painful memories of last year, when six people were killed during another security operation in the area.

Following that incident, Inspector-General Douglas Kanja, Director of Criminal Investigations Amin Mohammed and Deputy Inspector-General Eliud Lagat visited Ang’ata Barrikoi.

Kanja ordered investigations into the killings, directed the transfer of all GSU and DCI officers stationed in the area, and vowed that any officer found to have acted outside the law would be held personally accountable.

For residents who have endured repeated security operations, the hope is that this time those promises will finally bring justice.