ELDORET, Kenya — Catholic Bishop Dominic Kimengich has issued a searing condemnation of the government’s handling of insecurity in Kerio Valley, following the brutal killing of a Catholic priest by armed bandits.
Speaking during the requiem mass for Father Allois Bett at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Eldoret, Bishop Kimengich said the attackers had “crossed all red lines” and demanded urgent government action to stop the bloodshed.
“Time for empty talk is over. We demand action. We must stop the many extrajudicial killings in the country to prevent further loss of innocent lives,” he told mourners.
Father Bett, who served at St Mulumba Catholic Church in Tot, Elgeyo Marakwet County, was gunned down two weeks ago while returning from a Jumuiya service—a small community mass—barely two kilometers from his parish.
His death has deepened fears in a region long plagued by banditry and deadly cattle raids.
“They have killed the children, the women, and now the priest,” the bishop said. “They must now be stopped.”
His comments come amid growing outrage over rising violence in Kerio Valley, where despite repeated government pledges, residents say lawlessness persists and security remains fragile.
The requiem mass was attended by several senior government officials, including Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago, Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei, and Uasin Gishu Deputy Governor Evans Kapkea.
Earlier in the day, Father Bett’s body was moved from the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital morgue to the cathedral for public viewing.
According to the funeral programme, his body will be later taken to Holy Family Ol Lessos Parish in Nandi County for a night vigil.
A final mass and public viewing are scheduled to be held at St Michael’s Terige High School, after which he will be buried at the Ol Lessos Parish Cemetery.
Meanwhile, security operations are ongoing in Kerio Valley to track down those responsible for the priest’s murder.
But Bishop Kimengich warned that justice must not only be pursued—it must be seen to be done.
“The government has the capacity to end this. What’s lacking is the will,” he said.
The killing of Father Bett marks a grim escalation in the violence that has for years haunted Kerio Valley, where communities have repeatedly called for sustained security interventions—and now, a reckoning.
