The rising insecurity along the border of West Pokot and Turkana counties has once again drawn national attention after a team of Citizen TV journalists narrowly escaped an attack by suspected bandits.
The crew, led by reporter Emmanuel Cheboit, had travelled to Kalomwai village to document the worsening state of insecurity when their assignment suddenly turned into a life-threatening ordeal.
As they interacted with locals to understand the recurring violence, a group of armed men believed to be bandits emerged from nearby thickets and began firing randomly in the air, forcing everyone to run for cover.
Cheboit, who serves as the Turkana correspondent for Citizen TV, was in the middle of conducting interviews when the shooting began. In the footage later aired by the station, he and his colleagues could be seen sprinting for safety as gunfire echoed across the area.
The panic and confusion captured in the clip offered a chilling picture of the situation many residents face daily in the volatile border region.
The journalists later managed to seek refuge in nearby homes until the gunfire subsided, escaping unharmed but clearly shaken.This incident reflects the deep insecurity that has gripped parts of West Pokot and Turkana for weeks.
Local reports indicate that at least ten people have lost their lives in bandit-related attacks within a span of two weeks. Fear and uncertainty have taken over villages where residents now live in constant tension, unsure of when the next assault might occur.
Just two days before the journalists’ ordeal, two villagers were reportedly shot dead in the Nakumori area as they returned home from a church service. The next day, another group of bandits raided a gold mining site, opening fire on miners and forcing them to flee before setting fire to an excavator estimated to be worth Ksh16 million.
Residents say the attacks have become too frequent, making normal life almost impossible. Many have abandoned their farms and homes, fearing for their safety. One villager recounted how a group of armed men attacked them shortly after attending an event organized by the county government, adding that they only survived by sheer luck.
The local communities are now pleading with President William Ruto’s administration to step in urgently, arguing that the limited number of police officers on the ground cannot effectively handle the heavily armed bandits.
The government has acknowledged the growing problem, with Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen recently warning that those involved in banditry must surrender their weapons or face the full force of the law.
He emphasized that the government had opened a brief window for individuals holding illegal firearms to hand them over voluntarily without fear of arrest.
However, residents remain skeptical, saying that such promises have been made before without any lasting change.
The near-death experience of the Citizen TV team serves as a reminder of how fragile the situation remains in the North Rift region. What was meant to be a simple news assignment ended up exposing the scale of lawlessness that continues to endanger both residents and those trying to tell their stories.
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