Armed With M16 Rifles, Just Who Are The ‘Faceless’ Bandits of Laikipia?

LAIKIPIA, Kenya, Sept 8- Bandits? Not really.

In 14 days, they have killed 7 people among them, 3 police officers, torched more than 40 houses, and as time ticks by, they are getting more emboldened.

What exactly is happening in Laikipia County and who is behind the current wave of violence that has claimed tens of lives over the years and led to the destruction of property and left hundreds displaced.

It is a puzzle that even the Rift Valley Regional Coordinator George Natembeya says needs to be unraveled.

“While our officers are using AK 47 and G3 rifles, the bandits are using M16 and other heavy rifles which are usually used by foreign armies which come for training in Kenya,” he said. “We do not know how they get these heavy weapons.”

A typical definition of the word bandit means a robber or outlaw belonging to a gang and typically operating in an isolated or lawless area.

But the so-called bandits of Laikipia seem to be more lethal than just mere robbers.

Authorities have already established that some are armed with M16 rifles among other sophisticated weapons.

An M16 rifle, used by the military only is a 223 caliber (5.56 millimeter) gas-operated magazine-fed rifle for semiautomatic or automatic operation.

“How such a powerful rifle got to their hands is a puzzle. It should be investigated,” Natembeya said.

And he too is worried that if left unchecked, the current insecurity could easily spread to other parts of the country- where land is an emotive subject.

“We must do everything possible to stop this. Otherwise, our country will become a banana republic,” he said.

Despite heavy police presence, the so-called bandits in Laikipia have been roaming freely, leaving a trail of destruction and pain.

A 46-year-old Peter Njuguna who had recently left his home fearing for his life was killed right inside the house, where he had sought refuge.

The deceased had sought refuge at his brother’s home when bandits threatened to end his life and that of his family over the weekend if they did not vacate their homes.

“He offered the over 10 attackers money and pleaded with them to spare his life but they refused and shot him dead on the chest. They also took his money,” a survivor who spoke to Shahidi News said.

Police, in their own admission, they are equally concerned by the level of confidence the armed attackers are operating with.

You would expect them to retreat to safety once police near their hideout. But that alone is not a deterrent.

“They are fighting back. Like on Tuesday, we engaged a group for more than one hour,” a senior security officer currently in Laikipia told Shahidi News.

Who is behind the current spate of insecurity?

Laikipia is a landmine waiting to explode and could be described as a face of many other parts of Kenya, where historical injustices have never been addressed, the land being at the center stage.

The grounds of Laikipia are drenched with a lot of security officers and civilian blood…and they still seem thirsty?

The government has resulted in security operations every time there is violence…often masqueraded as a war for water and pastures.

-Deep-rooted issues in Laikipia-

For the haves, Laikipia is a land of opportunities, where one family – mostly Kenya whites own as much as 40,000 acres of land or more.

A parched savannah grassland rolls off far into the distance.

It is a vast but harsh place used for the joint Kenya Defence Forces and British Army training but also hosting several wildlife conservations ranches.

According to experts, the cosmopolitan County is a tough area for raising cattle and if one has to do it, it needs careful management to avoid overgrazing.

 And it is the same cattle, that are at the center of the renewed violence.

On Tuesday, they burnt down a primary school in Ol Moran area.

-What measures has the government taken? –

The National Security Council met Monday in State House Nairobi and declared Laikipia a disturbed and a security operation area.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said an operation will be conducted at the Laikipia Nature Conservancy.

A dusk to dawn curfew was declared in the area.

Those with animals grazing in the ranches were given 48 hours to remove them.

Officials said politicians, a Judge, senior military, and police officers are among those who have illegally moved livestock into Laikipia conservancy.

All leaders including politicians, businessmen, public officers and others who have illegally moved their livestock into the conflict zone to remove the same from there within 48 hours,” said Matiang’i in a statement.

The meeting at State House was chaired by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Matiang’i had in July visited the area and ordered the herders to move out. But they refused.

Matiang’i also announced an immediate takeover by security teams of the 80,000- acre Kilmon farm that is owned by the government and that has been a theatre of deadly clashes between armed herders from Laikipia and the neighbouring counties.

A GSU camp will be established at the parcel to create a buffer zone between the two warring sides.

The CS further ordered private ranchers and pastoralists to register agreements on access to pastures with the county government beginning next month to enable the government to enforce the pacts and arbitrate bloody disputes around their implementation.

“If you have an agreement with ranchers, that’s OK. But for the government to be able to provide security, we want such agreements recorded and the terms registered with the County Government to help resolve disputes around them,” he said.

To help pastoralists in the county ease the pressure on grazing pastures and water points, Matiang’i further announced that the Kenya Meat Commission (KMC), which is under the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), will begin buying around 1,000 livestock weekly from next week in an off-take deal brokered by the Government.

Areas under government surveillance include the Laikipia Nature Conservancy owned by conservationist Kuki Gullman in Laikipia West, government-owned ranches; ADC Mutara ranch in Laikipia West and 80,000 – acre Kilmon farm, Mugie Ranch, Loisaba, and Kirimon Nature National Reserve in Laikipia North.