Government has failed Kenyans in fighting banditry - Rtd. Brigadier Ahmed Mohamed says

Rtd. Brigadier General Ahmed Mohamed says the government has failed Kenyans in the fight against banditry.

He further claimed that deployed officers harass locals in the troubled areas instead of taking action and then disappear anticipating the next attack.

“We come when there is a crisis. We come at that time, harass locals for a short time, and then disappear from the scene and wait for the next attack. I'm sorry, on this part, the government has failed us,” he said speaking in a panel discussion on Citizen TV's Daybreak show.

Mohamed argued that the biggest problem is that the government is reactive and not looking to find long-term solutions.

“Unfortunately, our biggest challenge is being reactive. The government is always reactive and never coming in and staying on to find sustainable and long-term solutions,” he said.

He added that locals should not be blamed on how they deal with the bandits including owning firearms,  noting that the role of providing peace and security in Kenya lies solely with the government.

“The government is well armed, is in charge. The government has intelligence sources; they have all that they need. They just need to come in,” he said.

This follows a meeting with officers on Monday at the Sarar GSU Camp in Elgeyo Marakwet County where Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki stated that the government will deploy officers to flush out bandits in the North Rift region.

“We are bringing in special forces to help us deal with the hardcore commanders of banditry. To ruthlessly pursue the livestock rustlers, we are deploying the same measures we've deployed to tackle terrorism,” CS Kindiki said.