Baringo North MP questions gov't commitment to fighting banditry

According to Makilap, the government has been reluctant to address the problem because they only respond to bandit attacks and then leave the area once the guns fall silent.

Speaking on Wednesday's Daybreak programme on Citizen TV, the lawmaker contended that the battle against banditry has evolved over time and that the bandits are now led by professionals, experts, and retired security officers.

"From where we are sitting there has never been an operation, what has been happening is a reactionary patrol. Whenever an incident comes there is alot of mighty power of security people going round then they go," he said.

"During the patrols, they go through the road networks but the bandits are not on the road they are in the bush. There has never been a systematic operation to remove guns from bandits. That kind of operation was done years back when Moi was president."

Makilap also expressed scepticism about whether the right measures will be taken, pointing out that despite receiving advice from leaders in areas where banditry is a problem, President William Ruto, Defence Chief of Staff Aden Duale, and Interior Chief Kithure Kindiki have been unable to resolve the issue.

This comes after armed bandits attacked a GSU camp Kapindasum Village in Baringo South Sub-County on Tuesday, laying siege on the GSU camp and the adjacent Kapindasum Primary School for seven hours.

The bandit attack has sparked tension with eyewitnesses saying over 200 armed bandits engaged the security officers in a fierce gun battle. 

A multi-agency security team was sent in to combat banditry following a string of bandit attacks in the area that were deemed disruptive and dangerous. This incident is the most recent in the series.