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Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Prof. Kithure Kindiki has ordered residents to vacate some parts of the North Rift region in 24 hours.
In a statement on Sunday, March 12, Kindiki says the specific areas are believed to be used by the bandits as hideouts.
He has also issued a stern warning that whoever will be found in the said areas will be treated as a criminal by the security agencies.
"All law-abiding civilians are hereby ordered to vacate the following areas and coordinates immediately and in any case within twenty-four (24) hours effective today, Sunday 12th march 2023 0830 hours,"
"The above-specified spaces are hereby declared scenes of crime and any person found therein from Monday 13th March 2023 0830 HOURS will be treated as a suspect of armed banditry, or as a suspect of aiding and abetting banditry, or an accessory after the fact. Everyone must get out,"
According to CS Kindiki, the specified areas are also home to dangerously armed criminals. He says bandits are holed up in difficult-terrain, remote, and inaccessible areas at the bottom of gorges, escarpments, caves, ravines, hills, and forests.
The ministry has also banned the operation of low-altitude overflight by any other aircraft in areas cutting across different parts of Baringo, Laikipia, Samburu, and Turkana Counties.
The areas are Korkoron Hills, Tandare Valley, and Silale Gorges in Baringo County.
Mukogodo Forest; Kamwenje, Warero and Ndonyoriwo; Lekuruki Hills, Losos and Kiape Caves and Sieku Valley in Laikipia County.
Ltungai Conservancy, Longewan, Nasuur, Lochokia, and Lekadaar Escarpments; Lolmolok Caves, Pura Valley, Malaso Escarpment and Suguta Valley in Samburu County in, Malaso, Samburu County
Kapelbok, Nakwamoru, Lebokat, Ombollion, Nadome and Kamur caves in Turkana County; the Turkwell Escarpment at the interface of West Pokot and Turkana Counties.
On February 13, Kindiki asked persons holding illegal firearms in the area to surrender them within three days.
He had warned of the full force of the law for failure to surrender the firearm.
"The murderous gangs have in recent days escalated their terror on innocent Kenyans and law enforcement agencies and in the process burnt down schools, police vehicles, and other social amenities," said Kindiki at the time.
The ministry has also revealed that in the last seven months, over one hundred and thirty-five (135) innocent Kenyans including twenty (20) security officers had been killed.
During the same period, dozens of schools have been closed, thousands of families displaced, and public amenities and infrastructure destroyed by these criminal gangs.
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