Armed bandits torched a school in Laikipia West over unclear reasons with the security in the area a huge cause of concern for the authorities.
Bandits with arms torched Mirigwiti Primary School before engaging in a shooting tussle with the police before running away.
Before the attack, the Regional Coordinator for Rift Valley George Natembeya had launched an operation in the area to beef up security in the town of Ol Moran which is close to the school.
The move follows Cabinet Secretary for Interior Fred Matiang’i who announced a major security operation to rid the bandit-prone areas of people who are not legally occupied the area.
The Rift Valley Regional Coordinator revealed that Mirigwiti is one of the schools that have had to shut down due to the level of insecurity in Laikipia County.
“We shall be ruthless and we will flush out all bandits from the area. We will not allow this criminal activity,” said Natembeya who arrived in the area, shortly after the bandits ran away.
According to the Regional Coordinator, the bandits were heavily armed with sophisticated firearms from foreign soldiers who enter the country. He added that the source of the firearms has not been identified.
“Our officers use AK-47 and G3 rifles but the bandits use M16 and other heavy firearms,” he said adding that a thorough investigation shall be launched to find out how the bandits acquire the sophisticated firearms.
The more concerning areas in Laikipia have seen a dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed in Laikipia Nature Conservancy and its environs on Monday.
CS Matiang’i on his part referred to the areas as disturbed areas before adding that the directive is for those areas in the conservancy which have now been turned into a den for armed bandits.
The conservancy is owned by one Kuki Gallmann who is also an author.