The governor while addressing the insecurity that has hit part of the North Rift said he was frustrated by his seniors which hindered the efforts to quell insecurity in the region.

Governor Natembeya said he had aimed to put an end to banditry, but eventually lost hope since no progress was being made.

“I left Rift Valley frustrated because even when my calls were not being picked, only the president picked my calls, I think I only spoke to former Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho thrice for the three years I was the Regional Coordinator,” Natembeya said in an interview on Citizen TV.

Governor Natembeya said he left without a plan revealing he had no intention of joining elective politics.

“I decided that I was not going to preside over the deaths of innocent people. I was quitting, even joining politics was not initially on my mind, I did not even know where I was going. It was frustrating,” Natembeya said.

The governor added that strategies he tried to effect were quashed which made it even more difficult to curb the menace.

President William Ruto has since ordered a joint security exercise between the National Police Service and the Kenya Defence Forces.

The head of state announced a three-day voluntary disarmament exercise starting Tuesday, February 14 will allow for the surrender of guns with no repercussions.

The lapse of the three-day will see security agencies move in to forcefully disarm those illegally possessing firearms.

Following the President's pronouncement, Interior CS Kithure Kindiki declared parts of Turkana, West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, Laikipia and Samburu as ‘disturbed’ & ‘dangerous’ allowing the use of lethal force on bandits.

Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale after gazetting the deployment of the KDF to the affected areas said the government was going to deal with the issue conclusively.

Several security officers and civilians have lost their lives in the recurring attacks.