Kenya: Students in brush with death

County Commissioner Peter Okwanyo addresses residents at Chebilat in Tiaty. He said the Government has stepped up the war against bandits. (PHOTO: KIPSANG JOSEPH/STANDARD)

Over 50 students escaped death narrowly when suspected bandits opened fire on a bus near Loruk along the Marigat-Chemolingot road.

None of the students from Nginyang High School was injured in the incident. The students were reportedly heading back to their school after attending music festivals in Kabarnet.

County Commissioner Peter Okwanyo said the incident took place at around 7p.m. on Saturday night.

“One bullet hit the bus, but fortunately none of the students was injured. The students were later escorted to school by police,” he said.

The students were using a hired bus belonging to Kong’asis Company. Police have launched a man-hunt for the attackers whose number could not be established.

The incident comes days after the Government issued a ‘shoot-to-kill’ order to police following the bandit menace in the area.

Yesterday, Okwanyo maintained there will be no mercy for bandits and cattle rustlers.

“There needs to be no mercy for them because they also have no mercy,” he noted.

The order has elicited sharp criticism from human rights organisations, who said it may pave the way for violation of human rights.

But the Government has maintained the order was justified because of the runaway insecurity in the area.

The commissioner intimated that after last week’s killing of a chief in the area, a hit list belonging to the bandits was discovered, adding that one of them has since been killed.

Okwanyo called on human rights organisations to balance their activism with the need to guarantee the public safety, and asked residents to volunteer information to police that may help to arrest those behind the recent killings.

He also hit out at the activists for not speaking out when bandits kill police and residents.

“None of them condemns the killings or even sympathises with those left to suffer in camps due to displacement.

They only speak out when a shoot-to-kill order his issued,” he said on Saturday during the burial of Joseph Tuitoek, father to Deputy Governor Mathew Tuitoek at Koriema in Baringo.

 Restore security

Governor Benjamin Cheboi, who also spoke during the function, assured residents that his administration will put in place the necessary machinery to restore security in the area bordering Tiaty sub-county.

The measures, he said, will include setting up a police post at Kagir in Baringo North where bandit attacks have forced residents fleeing the area.

Recently, Senator Gideon Moi convened a peace meeting to end clashes between the Pokot and Tugen communities living along the troubled Loruk border point.

During the meeting, Gideon asked the Government to ensure criminals responsible for the death of a retired chief and the torching of shops at the trading centre are arrested and prosecuted.