NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 29- At least six armed men were shot dead in Kerio Valley after they crossed from Tiaty sub-county as the fight against banditry rages on.
Police laid an ambush on the 6 people said to have been planning a raid, leading to the shooting.
Security agencies said they have intensified operations in the area in efforts to tame the existing threat of banditry.
Insecurity has prompted people to flee their homes fearing for their lives.
The killing of the six brought to over 20, the number of people killed in the banditry prone Kerio Valley in the past one month between two warring communities.
Incidents of cattle rustling have been on the rise in the past months amid police operations to tame the trend.
And while cattle rustling has been a traditional activity for years, police say it has since evolved to an economic activity- with a hidden hand of influential individuals, among them politicians.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiangi recently met leaders from the troubled areas, in search for a solution for the insecurity challenges.
Similar meetings have been held in the past.
Past reports have indicated there are more guns in wrong hands than there is spoons in the several households in the area.
Both civilians and security officers have lost their lives to the war. In January, a senior General Service Unit was shot dead in Kapedo, Turkana County by bandits, shortly after holding peace talks with community members.
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