According to Baringo North Member of Parliament Joseph Makilap, the effort to disarm the North Rift area bandits has been futile for more than ten years.

Makilap claims that it has been unwilling to confront the issue because the government only acts in response to bandit attacks and withdraws from the area when the guns stop firing.

During Wednesday's Daybreak segment on Citizen TV, the lawmaker asserted that the fight against banditry has changed over time and that the bandits are currently under the leadership of experts, professionals, and retired security officers.



"From where we are sitting there has never been an operation, what has been happening is a reactionary patrol. Whenever an incident comes there is alot of mighty power of security people going round then they go," he said.

"During the patrols, they go through the road networks but the bandits are not on the road they are in the bush. There has never been a systematic operation to remove guns from bandits. That kind of operation was done years back when Moi was president."

Makilap also expressed doubts about whether the appropriate actions will be taken, pointing out that President William Ruto, Chief of Staff Aden Duale of the Defense Department, and Chief of Interior Kithure Kindiki have not been able to resolve the issue despite receiving advice from leaders in areas where banditry is a problem.


This comes after armed bandits besieged the GSU camp and the nearby Kapindasum Primary School for seven hours on Tuesday during their attack on the GSU camp in Kapindasum Village in Baringo South Sub-County.

The bandit attack has raised tension, as witnesses claim that more than 200 armed bandits engaged the security guards in a gunfight.

After several disruptive and dangerous bandit attacks in the area, a multi-agency security team was dispatched to combat the banditry. The most recent occurrence in the series is this one.