NAIROBI, Kenya — President William Ruto is among Kenyans who have mourned Father Allois Cheruiyot Bett of St. Matthias Mulumba Tot Parish, Diocese of Eldoret.
Already, six suspects are in police custody in connection with the murder of the cleric by armed assailants in Elgeyo Marakwet County.
“Fr. Allois was a tireless promoter of peace and a true faith leader whose sermons were genuine, clear, and targeted. May God grant the family and friends the strength to bear this painful death. We will hunt down his killers as we commit to restoring peace in the Kerio Valley,” President Ruto said.
General Collins Chepkuley, the man who recently hit the headlines after setting up his own police station in Uasin Gishu County, lashed out at the government on what he described as failing to protect the lives of Kenyans.
“They started with kids and women. Don’t talk of innocent men. Who are these bandits? Is this not terrorism? If I may ask the Kenyan government, what are guns doing in the hands of civilians?” posed General Chepkuley.
Why Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen is a man under siege
He put Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on the spot for failing to address the runaway insecurity in parts of Kerio Valley.
“Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen, don’t you think we need the military to restore peace once and for all? Why are you killing yourselves, dear Kalenjin? Why a Catholic father? Which mistake did he commit?” he added.
Chepkuley also urged President Ruto to take decisive action in combating insecurity in parts of the North Rift region.
“Please, Mr. President, stop them before they do something bigger. God won’t forgive this country if justice won’t be served for this man. Do you mean the local administration doesn’t know these plans and executions? Fellow Kenyans, I am heartbroken; we are at a very bad place,” he added.
While also mourning the fallen priest, Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei hit out at CS Murkomen, saying:
CS Interior Murkomen should be reminded that charity begins at home. A few years ago, he was complaining about insecurity at his home Kerio Valley belt, but now he is in charge of security, but our people continue to be slaughtered like goats because he is just incorrigible, incompetent, and lazy,” Senator Cherargei lamented.
What NPS said about Father Allois Cheruiyot Bett’s murder
Senator Cherargei also claimed that out of frustration and panic, the CS directed the National Police Service (NPS) to indicate that the slain Catholic priest’s murder was not related to banditry.
“The opposite is true. We shall not allow him to malign the priest in death. For the last three days, the area has been a playground for criminals of banditry, and Kenyans have been killed. Kazi imemshinda Kapisa. Blessed day,” Cherargei wrote on his official X account.
This month, the government, through CS Murkomen, pointed to underdevelopment as the primary cause of persistent insecurity in 23 marginalised counties.
Murkomen said that decades of economic neglect, rather than a lack of police presence, are fueling banditry, cattle rustling, and communal conflicts in these areas.
In a policy shift, Murkomen said the government is focusing on long-term development as a sustainable solution to insecurity, rather than relying solely on traditional security measures such as deploying more police officers or building police posts.
“We are addressing the symptoms, not the causes,” Murkomen explained, noting that the lack of schools, access roads, clean water, and economic opportunities in these regions is driving the instability.
