One person has been shot dead in the banditry prone Kerio Valley after three buses carrying students were ambushed by armed criminals.
The buses which were carrying students of Tot Day Secondary School, Kerio Valley Secondary School and Mogil Secondary School were attacked by gun welding bandits at Chesuman near Arror in Elgeyo-Marakwet County.
One of the bus drivers was shot and killed while six pupils and three teachers sustained gunshot wounds.
A quick response by County Health personnel in Chesongoch, Tot and Mogil health facilities prevented further casualties.
Ambulances from Chesongoch and Tot rushed the injured to those facilities for emergency treatment.
Two students and two teachers who were critically injured are currently admitted at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH ), Eldoret.
By this morning, the students and teachers had been operated on and were in stable condition.
The body of the driver was moved to Tot Sub-County mortuary as police in the area begin a manhunt for the bandits who are said to have fled towards the neighbouring Tiaty sub-county.
Elgeyo-Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen and Governor Alex Tolgos condemned the Thursday evening attack and called on security personnel in the area to track down and apprehend bandits wreaking havoc in the region.
“It is painful that the bandits no longer even spare innocent school children. This is unprecedented and shows that these bandits are merciless murderers,” Governor Tolgos said.
Senator Murkomen wondered why National Police Reservists (NPRs) have not been reinstated in the area as promised by Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i when he met leaders from the region in Nakuru a fortnight ago.
“For how long will we witness the killing of our people for the government to act?. This madness should come to an end,” Senator Murkomen said.
The death bring to more than 60, the number of people killed in the past three months in Baringo, Turkana and Elgeyo-Marakwet counties.
During his meeting with the leaders, Dr Matiang’i ordered for the immediate arrest of people inciting the herders to turn against each other and those said to be funding the conflicts for selfish political gain.
“We will no longer condone any form of lawlessness. We will arrest all the perpetrators and ensure that we seize all firearms in the wrong hands,” Dr Matiang’i warned.
The leaders faulted the government for disarming National Police Reservists (NPRs) which they said was exposing residents to armed bandits.
The government has defended the move arguing that it took the decision after it emerged that some of the NPRs were misusing their firearms by colluding with criminals.
It also emerged that bandits wreaking havoc in the region are the ones who fled Kapedo at the border of Baringo and Turkana counties after the government rolled out a massive security operation in the area.
The government rolled out the operation following the killing of a senior General Service Unit (GSU) officer last year by armed bandits at Ameyan bridge near the banditry prone Kapedo.
The attack came barely three days after another attack where a middle-aged man was killed and three other people injured.
