NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 27 — More than 3,000 illegal firearms and 8,000 rounds of ammunition have been recovered in the Kerio Valley as the government intensifies security operations against banditry across parts of the North Rift.
Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the weapons recovered so far underscore the scale of the illegal arms challenge facing security agencies as operations are expanded in Samburu and Isiolo counties.
“We will continue with the operations to ensure that all people who have illegal firearms, and those targeting our officers, civilians, and livestock, are dealt with decisively,” Murkomen said Saturday.
The CS spoke at Nandi Hills Stadium in Nandi County, where he presided over the Nandi East/Tinderet KNUT Branch Empowerment Ceremony and a contribution towards the purchase of a staff bus and construction of a plaza.
The CS said the ongoing operations would remain intelligence-led as security agencies seek to dismantle armed networks blamed for attacks in the affected areas.
However, Murkomen directed security agencies to exercise greater caution following a recent incident in which livestock were killed during a security operation.
“I ask our security agencies to exercise maximum caution during operations to minimise collateral damage,” he said.
The intensified operations come amid reports that security agents killed hundreds of goats and cattle during an operation in Samburu East following the killing of a security officer who had served in Haiti.
The officer was killed at Gotu in Isiolo County last week by suspected bandits
Murkomen defended the intensified operations against criticism, saying the increased attention around the security campaign reflected the pressure being placed on armed groups.
“The noise that is there is because we are tightening the nut. We will continue until we liberate those areas before the next election,” he said.
The government has in recent years conducted security operations in parts of the North Rift and northern Kenya in response to bandit attacks, cattle raids and the proliferation of illegal firearms.
Murkomen said the latest operations would continue in areas affected by banditry, with security agencies expected to use intelligence to identify individuals and networks holding illegal weapons.
