Police seal off Kenya-Uganda border to stop bandits from fleeing, 5 stolen guns found abandoned by the killers of 19 AP officers

Police on Tuesday sealed off exits along the Kenya Uganda border to stop bandits from fleeing in the ongoing Kenya Defence Forces operation in parts of Baringo and Turkana.

KDF launched a security operation to help the police flush out those who killed 19 AP officers in Kapedo, Turkana East last Friday.

GSU officers and security agents are manning all border points in Turkana North and Pokot North and combing hills.

"We have tightened security in all areas to ensure that we arrest all those involved in criminal activities in the region," said Turkana county commissioner James Mathenge.

Pokot elders have so far found five abandoned guns stolen from the slain officers. The guns are handed over to the chief then to the Kenya Red Cross and finally the government.

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Sunday issued a 24 hour ultimatum for all the 19 guns to be retrieved.

Turkana MPs James Lomenen and Nicholas Ngikor said KDF must disarm all bandits to ensure lasting peace.

"We want all Kenyans who value peace to support this operation so that we can achieve lasting stability in the region," said Lomenen.

Sources said some of the attackers may have been killed during the bombing of the caves in which they had been hiding.

A chief in Pokot North, James Lokal, said the provincial administration is helping the government maintain tight security.

"We are working with security teams to ensure banditry is stopped," Lokal told the Star on the phone on Tuesday.