ELGEYO-MARAKWET, Kenya — Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has launched a multi-county security tour of the Kerio Valley region, vowing to intensify disarmament operations and crush persistent banditry in northern and Rift Valley counties.
Speaking in Cheptebo, Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Murkomen said the government would replicate security strategies that have stabilised parts of Elgeyo-Marakwet and Baringo in other banditry-prone areas, including Turkana, Laikipia, Isiolo, West Pokot, and Meru counties.
“During my tour of the region, which will also take me to West Pokot, Turkana, Laikipia, Isiolo, and Meru, I will assess the security situation and engage security agencies and residents to discuss ways of eliminating the remaining acts of banditry,” Murkomen said.
The Interior CS said disarmament remains a key pillar of the government’s security strategy, citing gains made through voluntary surrender of illegal firearms in the Kerio Valley.
“I want to thank those who have responded to our call to surrender illegal firearms voluntarily. To date, we have collected more than 1,200 firearms across the Kerio Valley,” he said.
Murkomen said the government was confident that targeted security operations, combined with community engagement, would eliminate remaining pockets of criminality and unlock development in affected regions.
“We are confident that the strategic interventions we applied in Elgeyo-Marakwet and Baringo will bear fruit in the regions where pockets of criminality remain. We will not rest until banditry is wiped out completely so that these parts of the country can enjoy development,” he said.
Beyond enforcement, the CS emphasised rehabilitation as a long-term solution to insecurity, announcing plans to enrol reformed bandits in technical training institutions and colleges to support their reintegration into society.
“We have committed that all those who were involved in banditry — and have abandoned the crime — will be enrolled in colleges and technical training institutions so they can acquire skills to support themselves and reintegrate productively into society,” Murkomen said.
He also commended religious institutions for supporting peace efforts, particularly during disarmament and rehabilitation programmes in Baringo, Elgeyo-Marakwet, and West Pokot counties.
“The Church supported us greatly in our disarmament efforts and in the rehabilitation of reformed bandits,” he said.
During the visit, Murkomen announced plans to establish Kerio Valley University, which will be built adjacent to Tambach Teachers Training College.
“We have consulted with the President and agreed that Kerio Valley University will be established at Tambach,” he said, adding that the teachers’ college would continue operating alongside the new institution.
The Interior CS was accompanied by Elgeyo-Marakwet Governor Wisley Rotich, Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo, TVET Principal Secretary Esther Muoria, Senator William Kisang, MPs Gideon Kimaiyo (Keiyo South), Adams Kipsanai (Keiyo North), Caroline Ng’elechei (Woman Representative), and county assembly members led by Speaker Lawi Kibire.
The tour comes amid renewed pressure on the government to deliver lasting peace in regions long affected by banditry, cattle rustling, and proliferation of illegal firearms, which have disrupted livelihoods, education, and infrastructure development.
