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Kipchumba Murkomen, the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, will hold a crucial security meeting in Kerio Valley on Monday, April 28, 2025. This visit comes as the government intensifies efforts to restore peace in the region.
According to officials, the meeting, set to take place at the Chesongoch Sisters Facility in Elgeyo Marakwet County, will gather senior security personnel and National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO) from various sub-counties including Marakwet East, Baringo West, Tiaty, Kerio Valley, and Pokot Central.
The meeting is part of the broader Operation Maliza Uhalifu (OMU), a multi-agency initiative launched in 2023 to combat banditry and other emerging crimes in the North Rift. OMU has shown significant progress, with its first phase helping to revive economic activities and reopen vital services such as schools, hospitals, and infrastructure in the region.
During the recent launch of OMU’s second command center in Kirimon, Laikipia County, Murkomen highlighted the operation’s success in restoring essential services. The new command center is designed to intensify the fight against banditry and complements the first center in Chemolingot, serving areas such as Laikipia, Samburu, Isiolo, and parts of Meru.
The upcoming Kerio Valley meeting also follows the successful Jukwaa La Usalama forums held in the Coast and Lower Eastern regions, which focused on security and service delivery.
A major focus of the meeting will be the ongoing reforms to the National Police Reservists (NPR) program, which includes improving command structures, conducting re-vetting, enhancing welfare and equipment, and providing comprehensive retraining. The government aims to ensure that NPRs are well-equipped and operate under a clear command chain to better assist the National Police Service and NGAOs in high-risk areas.
Additionally, there will be discussions on a proposal to allow Chiefs in high-risk areas to possess firearms, a measure that Murkomen has strongly supported. Chiefs who have undergone paramilitary training and whose security is at risk would be licensed to carry firearms.
Murkomen is also advocating for broader administrative reforms, including better promotions, rewards, pay, and equipment for police officers, chiefs, and their assistants. He emphasized that the ultimate goal of these reforms is to ensure that ordinary citizens can go about their daily lives without fear of insecurity.
The Cabinet Secretary is also expected to push for greater collaboration with Members of Parliament to use the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) for the construction and equipping of NGAO offices, aiming to bring government services closer to local communities, especially those in remote and high-risk areas.
Recently, two people were killed in a gun ambush along the Nginyang-Marigat road in Baringo County, including a lorry driver and his passenger. Several others were injured during the attack on April 21, where gunmen ambushed police escorts protecting lorries transporting livestock. The attack occurred in the Kipcherere drift area, located at the border of Baringo North and Mukutani sub-counties.
Despite a decrease in cattle rustling incidents due to ongoing security operations, Murkomen has vowed to continue leading efforts to combat the issue, which he describes as an organized criminal activity causing death, poverty, and displacement in Northern Kenya. He explained that cattle rustling severely impacts pastoral communities, worsening poverty and fueling revenge attacks.
