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{
    "id": 1401887,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1401887/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 660,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Laikipia East, TSP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Mwangi Kiunjuri",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "For the last four months, bandits have been roaming in Laikipia North terrorising people. During daytime, they scout fearlessly the homes that they will steal from in the evening. They are seen during the day in the conservancies and valleys within Ngare Ndare. What really surprises us is the heavy presence of deployed police officers and Anti-stock Theft Unit. They are around but those bandits still roam freely, and they come and steal. What worries the residents of those areas is that they can come all the way, skip a few homes where there are animals and then they go 20 metres to the Anti-Stock Theft Unit and steal from there. No police officer shoots in the air or comes out of the camp. They have gone ahead to isolate areas. They go to the Chief’s home at Ethi and steal animals. He lives about 50 metres from the Police Post. As leaders of Laikipia County, if our people are not safe, how should we react? Police officers are around but they do not act. Are they submitting, overwhelmed or collaborating with the thieves? So far, so many animals have been taken. The bandits and the perpetrators are still free. None of them has been apprehended. Animal recovery is almost at 1 per cent. Everyone knows where they are taken. The animals are taken through ranches. Our question is whether some ranchers, especially the Ole Naisho Farm, are collaborating with the bandits. That area is expansive. It takes time to move them from villages to the forest. How come they steal and comfortably drive the animals to Mukogodo Forest? They have made it their safe haven. Are those officers and bandits submitting that it is a “bring it on”? If they cannot reverse them, and we do not have enough police reservists, how are we to react? Information is very clear that security forces know where the animals are taken. One wonders if the security forces and the people where animals are taken from know where the animals are. Everybody knows where the animals are. Why can this Government not take action similar to the one that was taken during the raids at Mt. Elgon, whereby all the agencies were brought together? That is even if it calls upon us to amend the law to bring in the army. We cannot have Kenyans terrorised across the country - in the North Rift, the Central Rift and everywhere. We are only hearing that the Government is up in arms and that it is countering them. We have no seen any serious incident that can teach them a lesson. We demand an operation similar to the one that was carried out in Boni Forest. It should be carried out in Mukogodo Forest, the Suguta Valley, and other constituencies and areas where the Government knows stolen animals are taken to. Serious action should be taken so that those people never repeat what they are doing. The perpetrators and the collaborators must be punished in equal measure. We are wasting our time if the Government is not going to do that. We must seal Mukogodo with the Mt. Elgon and Boni forests kind of operations. Combined forces must come there. The Government must show its force. Otherwise, the bandits will remain there. They see that the Government can bark but cannot bite. We agree that the Cabinet Secretary, Kithure Kindiki, is doing a lot of work. However, it is more of paperwork. At the end of the day, if you ask them, he will just be a paper tiger if he cannot bite. We strongly condemn those criminals and their acts of cowardice. We must make sure that the perpetrators are brought to book. It is not okay if the Government does not take serious action to deal with the perpetrators and collaborators. They know them by name. They left two phones when they killed Karisho on Friday. With only that, they can say who those bandits and their collaborators are. This is an enterprise. It is not only about cattle rustling. We must, for the first time, deal with the people who are arming the bandits and those who are involved in that business. At the end of the day, those animals end up somewhere. Some animals are stolen for restocking, as Hon. Kamket would call it. Some rich people somewhere are advancing that business. They must now be called by their names and brought to book. We want a tougher and bigger action this time around. I like the way the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) operates. They have their way of eliminating those people if they The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor"
}