A wave of grief and renewed calls for security reform swept across the nation following the brutal killing of Father Allois Cheruiyot Bett, a Catholic priest serving at St. Matthias Mulumba Tot Parish in Elgeyo Marakwet.
Speaking during the priest’s burial on Monday, June 2, Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei issued a powerful plea to the government to officially gazette Kerio Valley as a “disturbance zone,” citing escalating insecurity and unchecked criminal activities in the region.
Father Allois was ambushed and fatally shot on May 22 shortly after conducting a small Christian community mass in Kakbiken village. Witnesses say unknown assailants opened fire without provocation, leaving the community reeling in shock and sorrow.
The murder has sparked national outrage and heightened scrutiny over the government’s response to growing lawlessness in Kerio Valley.
Senator Cherargei, in his emotional address, declared the killing an act of “domestic terrorism,” and insisted that such crimes must be met with unwavering force. “When areas around Mount Elgon faced similar issues, they were gazetted,” he noted. “It’s time we gazette Kerio Valley to allow full-scale disarmament and flushing out of criminal elements.”
He further criticized the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for sluggish action and urged security agencies to expose and apprehend those behind the heinous act. “Justice must be done for Father Allois. His killers must be taken to court,” he said.
President William Ruto and the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) have both condemned the priest’s killing, with the President calling for swift investigations. The KCCB also linked the murder of Father Allois to that of Father John Maina, urging the government to act swiftly before more lives are lost.
The call for gazettement could mark a turning point in efforts to restore peace in the troubled Kerio Valley and protect the lives of innocent civilians and community leaders alike.
