Africa-Press – Kenya. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has said the multi-agency Operation Maliza Uhalifu in Kerio Valley has registered significant gains, with more than 1,000 illegal firearms recovered in the past six months.
Speaking on Thursday at Todo KDF Camp in Kolowa subcounty, Baringo county, Murkomen said the security teams had successfully contained banditry and restored calm and normalcy across the once-restive Kerio Valley region.
“I’m very happy that, because of your good job, in less than six months we have collected over a thousand guns in a very small area, and we want that to progress as we create buffer zones. We safeguard areas that have been secured, then move farther, get the guns and secure that area,” he said.
Murkomen noted that some pockets had recently posed challenges, citing Turkwel and Kainuk, largely due to mining-related and other criminal activities, but said corrective measures were already underway.
“Turkwel was almost giving us trouble the other day, including Kainuk, because of mining activities and criminal activities, but some work is going on now and we are going to upscale it,” he said.
The Interior CS spoke during a visit to the multi-agency security team to celebrate Christmas with officers and to express appreciation for what he described as exemplary service.
He was accompanied by Deputy Inspector-General of the Kenya Police Service Eliud Lagat, Deputy Inspector-General of the Administration Police Service Gilbert Masengeli, and other senior government officials.Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and IG Eliud Lagat serve officers working under the multi-agency Operation Maliza Uhalifu at Todo KDF Camp in Kolowa Subcounty, Baringo County, on Christmas Day. /MINA
Murkomen further revealed that the government has developed an elaborate plan to scale up infrastructure in the Kerio Valley region to enhance security operations in areas previously plagued by banditry.
He said President William Ruto has already approved resources for road upgrades to ease the movement of security teams during surveillance and rapid response missions.
Operation Maliza Uhalifu — Swahili for “end crime” — was launched in February 2023 in response to rampant banditry, livestock rustling and cattle-related violence in the Kerio Valley.
A sharp spike in attacks by heavily armed pastoralist militias had led to loss of life, displacement of families and disruption of schooling for many children.
Bandits, often armed with illegal weapons, would raid homesteads and make off with hundreds of livestock before retreating into hard-to-reach, steep and forested terrain.
Murkomen said the planned road infrastructure would open up the region and improve connectivity to Tiaty, Turkana East and the border with Samburu, which links with Meru and Isiolo.
“That way, we are going to make sure that the security team will be able to access these areas. I can assure you that the whole country is pleasantly surprised that it is possible for Kerio Valley to go for a week, a month, a year where people are in peace and there are no guns,” he said.
