Former Principal Secretary for Agriculture, Dr Richard Lesiyampe has urgently called for police intervention following a violent attack on his residence.
The assailants, armed with firearms, unleashed a barrage of 20 bullets on his home in Samburu County, creating a scene of fear and chaos.
The attack believed to be the work of bandits, occurred at Lesiyampe’s residence, which also serves as a holding place for neighbors’ livestock.
Eyewitnesses reported that the armed men, suspected to be after flocks of livestock, surrounded the compound before indiscriminately firing while approaching the gate.
Swift action by a group of police reservists prevented further harm as they engaged and overpowered the armed men, forcing them to retreat.
Dr. Lesiyampe expressed concern about the prevalence of such attacks, describing cattle rustling as a primitive method of capital accumulation that needs to be halted.
“My home was attacked last night by marauding bandits. Cattle rustling is a primitive method of capital accumulation and this must stop. The landscape of Samburu West is tethered with death and fear,” remarked the former PS, revealing that it was the third attack in the area within a week.
Residents recounted the harrowing experience, with one stating, “They sprayed the house with bullets until I wondered what was going on. They sprayed one house with over 20 bullets.”
The plea for intervention extends beyond Dr. Lesiyampe’s case, as locals have expressed ongoing concerns about the escalating violence in the region, particularly since the elections.
The residents have now called for the President to intervene as the community seeks a resolution to the recurring attacks, which have claimed lives and resulted in the theft of livestock.
