In the notoriously unsafe Kerio Valley, armed bandits ambushed and killed a Catholic priest Thursday afternoon.
The priest and a catechist were attacked while they were on their way back to their headquarters in Tot after celebrating a Jumuiya (little Christian community) mass in Kakbiken hamlet.
Witnesses reported that the priest was immediately killed as attackers opened fire on the two. Since then, the catechist has disappeared.
According to a Tot-based catechist, “a group of armed youths ambushed them and fired four bullets, three missed, but one struck the priest in the neck.”
Father Alloiss Cheruiyot Bett, a priest stationed at St Lumumba Catholic Church in Tot Parish, was identified as the deceased by Elgeyo Marakwet County Police Commander Peter Mulinge, who acknowledged receiving information of the incident.
“People suspected of being bandits attacked him on his way back from prayers,” Mulinge added.
Mulinge stated that a security operation is in progress in the area and that the robbers are thought to have suspected the priest of spying on them.
The attack happened within a kilometer of a nearby police station at around 2:30 pm.
Gunfire broke out in the neighborhood as a result of a manhunt for the attackers that was started by a combined squad of police officers, National Police Reservists (NPR), and locals.
The community is in shock and grieving as a result of the killing. As security officers hunt down the attackers, tensions in the neighborhood are still high.
Dominic Kimengich, the Catholic Bishop of Eldoret, issued a warning about the rise in banditry in Kerio Valley a few days before the murder.
Even after two years of an operation spearheaded by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), new attacks still result in fatalities.
It is said that Bishop Kimengich, who was notified of the priest’s passing, had recently criticized the ongoing insecurity in the area.
He cautioned, “The government shouldn’t let a select few people bring us back by killing innocent people in Kerio Valley.”
Kipchumba Murkomen, the cabinet secretary for interior, has also been briefed on the event, which is expected to reaffirm calls for more robust security measures in the unstable area.
Linked Suspects Arrested
In connection with the horrific Thursday murder of Father Allois Cheruiyot Bett, a Catholic priest from St. Matthias Mulumba Tot Parish, who was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in Kabartile Village, Elgeyo Marakwet County, police have detained six suspects.
The National Police Service (NPS) said in a press release that Father Bett was shot dead after being ambushed at Mokoro Location, Kakiptul Sub-Location.
Officers from the General Service Unit (GSU) launched an urgent manhunt after the perpetrators allegedly left the scene right away.
NPS spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga signed the statement, which stated that six individuals had subsequently been taken into custody.
The homicide was not connected to livestock rustling or the widespread banditry that has afflicted portions of the North Rift region, the police quickly clarified.
Authorities have denounced the murder as a “heinous act” and promised the public that they will see to it that justice is done, even if investigations are still ongoing.
“The Service extends its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Father Bett, as well as to the parishioners of St. Matthias Mulumba Tot Parish,” stated the statement.
Along with urging locals to maintain their composure and carry on with their regular lives fearlessly, the NPS also encouraged anyone with knowledge to come forward anonymously or by calling toll-free hotlines.
Recent killing incidents
Additionally, the event occurred while joint police teams from Nyandarua and Nakuru are looking into the death of another Catholic priest.
When Fr. John Maina Ndegwa was discovered unconscious and seriously injured, police pulled him up off the side of the road.
Father Ndegwa headed the Igwamiti Catholic Parish of Nyandarua.
On Friday, May 16, more than 50 kilometers from his worksite, he was discovered by the side of the road in Kikopey, Gilgil, Nakuru, according to the police.
According to the police, they believe his body was left at the scene after he was hurt somewhere else.
Since then, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations has urged the public to disregard online rumors about Father John Maina’s passing.
“Fr. Maina’s head bruises were not likely to be the cause of death, according to preliminary investigations. Samples were so gathered and forwarded for additional toxicological examination,” the DCI stated.
Several statements have already been recorded, and the DCI stated that preliminary investigations had shown that Fr. Maina was being pursued by individuals requesting a portion of the money former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua purportedly gave him after he presided over an Igwamiti Catholic Parish silver jubilee anniversary ceremony.
