Humanitarian crisis looms in Baringo amid bandit attacks

A humanitarian crisis is looming in Baringo County after more than 700 people fled bandit attacks in and are now camping at Eldume living in deplorable conditions with lack of basic necessities like water.

“We fear for outbreak of diseases as children, the elderly and expectant women are sleeping on the floor with no bedding,” said Amos Olempaka, a resident.

During a visit by the Nation at Eldume Primary School where more than 300 pupils from Mukutani have been transferred to, young children were huddled in classrooms singing innocently oblivious of what has befallen their families.

Some don’t know the whereabouts of their families and siblings following the deadly attack on Tuesday last week which left 11 people dead.

Some of the pupils are still in their school uniforms as that was the only cloth they had on their bodies on the fateful day.

Most of them are traumatized having witnessed their parents killed in cold blood.

Irene Karande, who survived the attack, said she was lucky to be alive and she took cover in a thicket as the massacre went on.

“I had taken cover and I witnessed five women killed. Two of them who had infants were butchered and a two weeks old baby thrown out to the cold,” said Ms Karande amid tears.

“We had no medic to give first aid to the injured persons and what we could was only giving them water and tied the wounds with clothes to prevent excessive bleeding. The mother of one of the injured children was killed with two other children,” she added.

90-year-old Lebongisho Naboo is yet to come to terms after her daughter with a  granddaughter were killed in the attack.

“My daughter was butchered and her two children shot dead when they were sheltering in a church. Some informers from the Pokot community had hinted that they would attack us but the police never took the matter with seriousness. It has cost the lives of women and innocent children,” the grandmother narrated amid sobs.

The government has since deployed the military to restore order in the region.

More than 30 people have been killed in the past one month in Baringo North and Baringo South sub counties by suspected Pokot bandits.