TRANS NZOIA, Kenya — The government plans to establish new security training grounds across the Kerio Valley counties of Samburu, Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, and West Pokot in a bid to strengthen policing capacity and consolidate peace in the region.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the training grounds will complement existing facilities at Kiganjo and Embakasi police training colleges, offering practical field-based instruction to both recruits and serving officers under an enhanced training curriculum.
Speaking in Karara, Cherangany, during the funeral of the late Mzee Michael Kigen Komen, father of ICT Principal Secretary John Tanui, Murkomen said the new facilities will play a dual role of improving security readiness and stimulating regional development.
“These training grounds will also help the regions to grow in many ways. It is a plus for the regions,” the CS said.
Murkomen also announced plans to upgrade the Kiganjo Police Training Campus into a fully-fledged campus of the proposed National Police University, which will offer continuous and specialised training programmes for police officers throughout their careers.
To meet rising demand for on-the-job training, the government will establish additional police training campuses in other regions, expanding access to professional development for officers nationwide.
On security operations, Murkomen said the government is targeting the collection of up to 3,000 illegal firearms in the Kerio Valley over the next year as part of ongoing disarmament efforts aimed at ending banditry and inter-communal violence.
The Kerio Valley has for years experienced cyclical insecurity driven by cattle rustling, proliferation of illegal firearms, and competition over resources, prompting sustained multi-agency security operations.
Murkomen said security interventions would be complemented by development-focused initiatives to address the root causes of conflict.
He highlighted government plans to roll out irrigation projects, housing programmes, and market infrastructure in the region to improve food security, create economic opportunities, and raise living standards.
“Sustainable peace cannot be achieved through security operations alone,” Murkomen said, adding that economic empowerment and access to services are critical to long-term stability.
The announcement signals a shift toward integrating security, training, and development in conflict-prone regions, as the government seeks to professionalise the police service while addressing the socio-economic drivers of insecurity in the Kerio Valley.
