The government is set to overhaul and intensify the security teams in Kerio Valley to curb the rising cases of banditry attacks in the region.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i on Wednesday said the ministry will review the recent security deployment in the area where a 30-day curfew is also in place to root out bandits.

The CS, who spoke after meeting parents of three children killed in a bandit attack in Tot, Elgeyo Marakwet County last month, said command of the operation will now be placed under high-ranking security officers.

“We have today agreed to undertake the replacement of the security team leaders and the reorganization of our structure. We have tried all manner of things to resolve this problem before and we are determined to get it right this time,” the CS said.

Matiang’i revealed that intelligence reports had linked security officers to the frequent attacks experienced in Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo and West Pokot counties.

He explained that police officers and chiefs in the counties repeatedly failed to act on information shared by credible sources, thereby actively abetting cattle rustling and banditry in the larger North Rift region.

While reassuring the bereaved families of the government's commitment to end the violence, the CS said the curfew would be imposed alongside a disarmament operation targeting illegal guns.

“I have met with the mothers and family members of the children who were killed weeks ago. There is nothing more heart-wrenching than going through the experience. What do you tell a mother who has lost a child in such a manner?” He posed.

Matiang’i also held a meeting with chiefs and their assistants and directed an immediate assessment of their competence and suitability, intimating that many of them may have been compromised by political and ethnic affiliations.

In the same regard, he noted that the curfew hours would not be reviewed until after three weeks as attacks had significantly dropped since its implementation.