Deal with Banditry Commanders, Natembeya tells State

By David Musundi

Trans Nzoia County Governor George Natembeya asks government to pursue high - profile political leaders responsible for ongoing banditry in the North Rift.

He spoke in Bwake in Cherangany Sub County during the funeral services of Agronomist Wafula Kibebe.

Natembeya said top commanders of the banditry union comprising of politicians benefiting from banditry attacks should be dealt with firmly.

He said time has come those leaders fuelling terror attacks in Suguta Valley should be apprehended. "The intricate web of terrorists doing senseless things must be stopped," he said.

Natembeya said leaders, especially those who have been using National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) money to buy guns and ammunitions, are responsible for the deaths and frequent stock theft.

While eulogising the immediate Chief of Defense Forces Francis Ogolla, he said the "Four Star General who was going to preach peace to worrying communities to enable smooth learning when schools resume shouldn't have died had there been Peace along volatile Suguta Valley.

He paid tribute to the departed Chief of the Defence Forces and the other top-ranking military officers who died in line of duty and called for thorough investigations into the helicopter crash.

Natembeya further said the death of CDF and other officers in the crash should be the last in the Kerio Valley.

Caption/The late Agronomist Wafula Kibebe laid to rest 

He said the perpetrators, armed bandits who had developed ears made from stones, must hear cries of Kenyans and repent of the situation they had pushed the nation into.

"I want to tell the highest command of bandits whether they are civil commanders or politicians, not to shed any blood again," he said.

He termed banditry as an enterprise with its own commanders, government should use resources to apprehend them to restore peace," he added.

 Other leaders, among them his political advisor Joshua Werunga, P. A. Emmanuel Wamalwa and Nairobi Advocate Titus Makhanu said time has come for residents of the Mulembe Nation to rally behind the governor to say 'NO to political Conmanship'.

 While backing up the Governor's call for thorough investigations into the air crash that led to the death of the CDF, the leaders asked Kenyans to end speculations and allow families of the gallant soldiers bury their loved ones peacefully.

 "Let us not engage in talks that can add missery to the families of the departed but instead let us pray for this country at this trying moment," Makhanu, who is also a resident of Cherangany said.