Two police officers killed in an ambush by suspected bandits in Kapedo

Two police officers were on Thursday evening killed in a bandit attack at Kapedo, reports say.

The two; an inspector of police and his driver were ambushed in Kapedo where a security operation to disarm and flush out bandits is ongoing.

The latest follows the arrest of Tiaty MP William Kamket over the skirmished on the area that left a GSU operations commander and six others dead.

His arrest came a day after he joined other leaders from Baringo and West Pokot who appealed to President Uhuru to deescalate the ongoing security operation in Kapedo.

The leaders asked the government to change tact, saying the operation was inhumane.

They claimed the rounds of skirmishes were had been caused by tussles over boundaries and extreme poverty.

On Tuesday night, 6 people were killed and scores injured in a shootout between the police and suspected bandits.

Rift Valley Regional Commander Goerge Natembeya said an unconfirmed number of bandits had attacked the Arabal area, making away with 50 heads of cattle.

The bandits, Mr. Natembeya said, were pursued by over 70 police officers and in the resulting exchange of fire, some lives.

Interior CS Fred Matiangi, on Wednesday warned that the government was keen on ending the insecurity menace in parts of Baringo and the Turkana borders.

He said the killing of a police boss in the region was not an act of banditry but a clear case of murder, warning those culpable to surrender before the security forces went for them.

“It is a clear case of murder. There was no conflict. It was a premeditated ambush that was targeting our deputy director of operations at the General Service Unit. We must stop pretending and put things candidly,” Matiang’i said.

The fallen GSU operation commander Emadau Tebakol is among 21 others who have been killed in the volatile parts of Turkana.