LODWAR, Kenya – Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen says the government is yet to confirm the exact number of people killed in the February 22 Todonyang attack in Turkana County, citing ongoing verification challenges and procedural constraints.
Speaking Wednesday in Lodwar during the 15th edition of the Jukwaa la Usalama county forums, Murkomen explained that some of the victims are suspected to have drowned in Lake Turkana during the cross-border attack by suspected Ethiopian militia, making body recovery and confirmation of deaths difficult.
“There is still pending verification of the exact numbers, partly because people suspected to have lost their lives disappeared into the lake. Without recovering the bodies, it is very difficult to state with certainty how many people died,” Murkomen told reporters.
He said legal protocols restrict authorities from declaring missing persons dead without concrete evidence.
“You can only say they are missing. You cannot legally declare them dead unless there is confirmation,” he said. “Some reports even suggest a few could be alive across the border in Ethiopia, although that remains unverified.”
Discrepancies in Numbers
Murkomen noted that many of the victims were not necessarily residents of Todonyang, complicating the count.
Some came from Kitale, Lodwar, and Kipish, making identity verification more difficult and the casualty numbers inconsistent.
He urged local communities to support the government’s efforts to account for the missing.
“Tunataka kusaidiana na wananchi kule Todonyang watupatie idadi ya wale tunajua ukweli walikuwa wanafanya fishing hapo na walipatana kwa hiyo janga ya mapigano,” he said.
Security Boost in the Pipeline
While acknowledging the community’s demands for improved security along the volatile Kenya-Ethiopia border, Murkomen cited budgetary limitations but said the government is considering deploying a multi-agency team to enhance security in the area.
“Todonyang is a key entry point with active cross-border commerce, fishing, and livestock farming. But it also suffers from boundary encroachment due to poor security presence. This is an issue we must address conclusively,” he said.
The Todonyang massacre occurred when a group of Kenyan fishermen were ambushed by armed militia, believed to be from the Dassanech community in southern Ethiopia, while fishing in Lake Turkana.
Later on Wednesday, Murkomen was scheduled to hold a town hall meeting with community leaders, elected officials, security personnel, and National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs) at Ekales Cultural Centre.
