Trans-Nzoia Governor George Natembeya, has revealed that Nairobians are funding the bandits in the North-Rift region by eating meat from the cattle stolen.
According to the governor, the animals stolen by the bandits are transported to Nairobi slaughterhouse such as one in Dagoretti, and end up in local butcheries.
While on Citizen Tv’s Monday night show, Natambeya stated that, he discovered this while serving as the Rift Valley Regional Commander(RC) for three years.
He also said that there is a “cartel” behind the livestock transport, and that all police officers stationed at various roadblocks have been bribed.
‘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 Laikipia Nature Conservancy for instance but somehow they disappear in thin air,” he said.
“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,” he added.
“You try to go to Dagoretti slaughterhouse and try to look for the horns of the animals slaughtered there you will not find any because people identify their cows with their horns. You will not find anything including the skin.”
Serving as RC
The governor also added that while serving as RC, efforts to reduce the menace were frustrated despite his enthusiasm, there was no support from the government and officers deployed to the region.
“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 will all the 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,’ he noted.
“All we asked from the government was aerial support and enough fuel for our vehicles and the go-ahead to move in. We divided the North-Rift into sectors and my commanders were ready, they said let them die , but they die protecting Kenyans. We weren’t given that approval,” he noted.
The governor also added that, they could not be effective because the troops were disappointed, noting that even access to basic needs was not possible.
He also said that the working conditions were very frustrating, recalling one time when an officer was shot by bandits in Laikipia and nobody answered his calls while he searched for transport for the young officer.
That was the reason that prompted him to leave the security administration and get into politics.
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