Governor Lelelit summoned by DCI over increased banditry in Samburu

Samburu Governor Jonathan Lelelit on Tuesday appeared before the Rift Valley regional headquarters of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Nakuru over increased banditry cases in the county.

According to Lelelit who has now been summoned for the second time in less than a month, blamed the security officials for wasting time summoning him instead of dealing with the real criminals behind the banditry attacks.

"People are being killed every day by bandits. It's unfortunate that instead of us staying there to help people, we are called here. We would be there helping the security people to find criminals," he said after the summon.

"Two days ago, a former police officer and an MCA were killed. Almost daily we have somebody killed and we are here wasting our time instead of being with our people."

The governor further said that the detectives had confiscated his phone for over a month.

"They have taken the phone for the last month, I don't know what they are doing. One week is enough to check if my phone is there and return it to me. This is a circus."

Earlier summon

On February 9, Lelelit was among seven people, including county staff, who were questioned by Rift Valley DCI officers over insecurity in the county.

Samburu is one of the counties that has been severely affected by cases of banditry and other forms of violent crimes in the country.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has been leading operations in the area in efforts to end the menace.

The Interior boss last week said cattle rustling in Northern Kenya has over the years become an organised criminal enterprise.

"Its impacts are severe. It deprives pastoral communities of their economic mainstay and aggravates the conditions of poverty in the rangelands, fueling communal grievances and revenge attacks," he said.

During a tour of the county, he promised the government would more resources in the war against banditry.

To dismantle the infrastructure of cattle rustlers and facilitators he said, the government will sustain the war on banditry and its perpetrators, enablers, benefactors and beneficiaries by making banditry a painful venture, ensuring recovery of stolen livestock and rewarding facilitators of recoveries.