The Big Business Behind Banditry – Natembeya Explains

Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya has detailed the big business allegedly behind banditry in the North Rift, involving powerful and well connected players who mint millions even as cattle-rustling bandits bring death and mayhem.

According to the Interior ministry over 100 civilians and 16 police officers have been killed by bandits over the past six months in North Rift counties including West Pokot, Samburu, Turkana, Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo and Laikipia. Successive administrations have been unable to tame the vice.

Natembeya, the immediate former Rift Valley Regional Commissioner looked back on his experiences in provincial administration – reiterating that he often felt frustrated over the poor working conditions and lack of government support for law enforcers tasked with dealing with banditry.

The Governor went on to explain that the banditry was supported by an organized syndicate in the livestock trade. While media reports often frame banditry and cattle rustling only as a case of ethnic conflict, Natembeya highlighted the transactional element, which involves selling stolen cattle from raids to well-connected livestock traders and subsequently to slaughterhouses across the country.

Bandits use the cash to secure, among other things, guns and ammunition. He stated that Nairobians were, unknowingly, funding the trade as is a lot of livestock in city slaughterhouses were stolen in bandit attacks.

“These animals are eaten by the good people of Nairobi, you are funding bandits in the Rift Valley, and this is a statement of fact I am not speculating because if 1,000 animals are stolen and taken to the Laikipia Nature Conservancy for instance but somehow they disappear in thin air,” he said in an NTV interview on Monday, February 13.

“We even gave instructions that no animals should be transported after 6pm and we instructed our police officers to man all the roadblocks from Baringo to Nairobi, but these cartels know who is on the roadblock. They carry money and compromise everybody,” the Governor stated.

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He further stated that the working conditions and lack of support dimmed his enthusiasm for the job, leading him to venture into politics in 2022. He claimed Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho was unresponsive to his calls in times of need, but credited President Uhuru Kenyatta with picking up.

“I left Rift Valley frustrated, only the President was picking calls,” Natembeya disclosed.

“It is not the work of the Regional Commissioner to make daily reports about how many people have been killed. PS Kibicho (Karanja) never used to pick up calls. I only spoke to him twice in three years,” he stated.

“When I went to the Rift Valley, I said I was going to be the last Regional Commissioner to talk about banditry. I was very enthusiastic, and I mobilized all security agencies all the way from Turkana to Baragoi I even had meetings with all commanders, and I told them that ‘let us suffer for two or three months but let nobody else who comes after us suffer the way you have suffered.”

“But how do you expect us to succeed? We don’t have vehicles, or fuel, officers are completely demoralized. The salaries they are paid is the same traffic officers are paid,” he posed.

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