HOW NOT TO WIN THE WAR ON BANDITRY?

 Kerio valley is bleeding , Marsabit too is bleeding and in laikipia County , Olmoran , Githiga and Ng'arua is too coming into terms with the deteriorating security situation now and in the last few months where bandits wrecked havoc. Killing innocent lives in an indiscriminate manner , looting and destruction of properties. Residents of this region had become accustomed to gunshots with were both sporadic and shot simultaneously. Killing innocent lives and livestock. Women and children beared huge brunt of this situation. Infact , laikipia , Baringo , Marsabit and Marakwet are becoming pariah Counties. The security agencies are being overwhelmed even after being armed with heavy combat equipments. It is turning out to point that , this war won't be won using the barrel of a gun. A new tactic must be put in place. Infact , the bandit war isn't a conventional warfare but insurgency type of warfare. Infact , we have even see huge , superior and organized Militaries falling in the hands of ill equipped opponents with no combat experience but resulted to insurgency type of warfare. The surprise attacks are very difficult to tame fact.

Am ain't trying to pour cold water on the efforts our security agencies especially the Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU) and the General Service Unit (GSU) are doing. Infact , they have been in thr forefront suppressing this bandits. The most disheartening thing is that , this bandits are now using innocent Kenyans especially women and children as human shields. In kerio valley where the fight between the armed bandits and thr security agencies has intensified , more lives have been lost and scores have been injured , displaced from their homes and Economic and social services have been disrupted heavily. Just the other day during the Madaraka day celebrations in Baringo County , in a sub county thst borders with Elgeyo Marakwet County , the ceremony didn't happen because that very morning , bandits engaged the police officers in a fierce gun battle.

This bandits still rides on the old and archaic tirade of cattle rustling. To them , that's their cultural rite and it isn't a crime. To you , you may view it as a deviant and a criminal behavior bit to them it is not. So , the reason why they engage the government that agrily is because it is trying to put an "iron curtain" between them and their historical cultural practice. The most disheartening thing is that , this cattle rustling exercise has not taken a tribal route. The pokots and marakwets who are pastoralists don't see eye to eye. In laikipia County , the Pokot bandits from the neighbouring Tiaty Constituency in Baringo County. They believe the farms the locals grow maize and wheat in large scale belongs to them. The few cattle they own to belongs to those bandits. Locals who are especially Kikuyus aren't supposed to rear even a goat. Very sad. In short , am trying to say , the government through the ministry of interior and co-ordination of national government should change strategy.

The rugged terrain of both Baringo and Marakwet Counties necessitates this bandits to conduct their businesses with much ease and precision. Terrain in such insurgency warfare gives this bandits an upper hand and DISENFRANCHISES the security agencies. Technology now must be employed. Security forces chasing this bandits to this caves and forested terrain is sending them to death traps. They wind survive. We can vividly what happened in baragoi and suguta valley where Administration Police lost a huge contingent of security personels. The use of armed drones must be employed by the multi agency security teams. When the opponent becomes stubborn and witty , the security agencies must also Swiftly change tactics. That's the only way to annihilate the opponent and obliterate him in totality. Fact!!!

The security personels , that is the GSU and RDU coupled by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) must invest in the hearts and minds of the locals. Why, a bandit doesn't have unique features that separates him from the rest of the locals. During the day , this people spends gathering intelligence information on the wherebouts of the security agencies and plan how to evade the attacks but in return launch attacks on the bases the security agencies have set in that region. National Police service must treat everyone in this volatile region as a suspect. Starting from children , men and women. I was shocked last year when former Rift Valley regional commissioner George Natembeya opined that, this bandits were armed with M16 rifles which are predominantly used by KDF special elites , RECCE and British and US special elite forces. This is very worrying , that means , politics is playing a huge role in necessitating this bandits to thrive and launch their attacks to both civilians and tur security forces.

This war won't be won using guns alone. Intelligence and overt and covert operations must be fused together. For you to annihilate the opponent , you must track each and everything he does. Another huge mistake is when the media is covering this operations especially done in this volatile Laikipia , Baringo , Marakwet and Marsabit Counties. When , the government is laying its plans on how it will deal with this bandit menace , it forgots that , this bandits have alot of sympathizers who gives them timely intelligence information in exchange for many favours. This always enables them to be steps ahead and able to plan insurgency attacks. As I have said , great army have fallen in thr hands of this type of attacks. Surprise attacks in one of the art of war. So , if this bandits have perfected that art , what do you expect?

Clandestine operations from our multi agency security teams is the only sure way of doing away with this bandits. It must win the hearts and minds of the locals. Women are the best to use as contact persons. This is because they are the ones who suffers the most. This will necessitate them to smoke this bandits out. The caves this bandits hide will only be mapped by using technology , that is dromes and GPS locations. Bombing tjose hide outs is also very necessary. If the government continue handling this bandits normally , the bandits will return handle them abnormally. When dealing with an opponent like this bandits , you show them mercies , they in turn won't show you any mercies.

It is my hopes that , the multi agency security team that was led by CS Matiang'i and Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai today in the expansive Marsabit County will comb that region and most importantly , use dialogue to solve the clan wars between the communities living in that county. Some security issues you don't need to use weapons but mouth alone can solve that problem to entirety. After Marsabit County , CS Matiang'i should pitch tent in Marakwet and Baringo and West Pokot border points. This will be a poignant point to start in solving this longstanding BANDITRY menace. Fact.