Africa-Press – Kenya. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has defended the government’s intensified security operations in the North Rift and parts of Turkana, vowing to end banditry and illegal possession of firearms despite mounting political resistance.
Murkomen said the ongoing crackdown along the West Pokot–Turkana belt will continue regardless of what he termed “political noise.”
“It will be painful. Forget the noise you hear now from politicians. The day we do what we have to do, the noise will be unmanageable, and I am prepared for it because I have gone through it before,” the CS said.
He spoke on Thursday during a Speaker’s Kamukunji meeting convened by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula.
Murkomen claimed that some individuals opposing the operation could be linked to networks financing the proliferation of illegal firearms.
“The sponsors, their associates and peers are the ones buying the guns and bullets. The day the police catch up with them, you will hear statements and press conferences. But I will not be intimidated,” he said.
The CS said the Inspector General and the National Police Service were prepared to carry out the operation to its conclusion.
“We will deal with this matter with finality. I will not play politics with security,” he told lawmakers.
According to the ministry, security agencies estimate that between 3,000 and 4,000 illegal firearms remain in circulation within the volatile corridor.
The estimate follows earlier operations in Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet and parts of West Pokot, after which armed groups are said to have fled and regrouped near the Turkana border.
Murkomen said the government had recovered more than 1,200 guns from Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet and sections of West Pokot.
“As we move towards Turkana, we expect not less than 3,000 guns to be surrendered,” he said.
He acknowledged that the security measures would be disruptive but said they were necessary to restore lasting peace and stability in the region.
The CS also pledged to strengthen security along the West Pokot–Turkana border to ease inter-community tensions and protect livelihoods.
“We want the children of West Pokot and Turkana to fight in classrooms with pens and books, not with guns and bullets,” he said.
Murkomen addressed concerns raised by leaders from Turkana who accused him of sidelining them during a recent visit to the region.
He said his trip to West Pokot was to launch a mass national identification card registration exercise and to meet security teams in Kainuk to plan ongoing operations.
A separate meeting with Turkana leaders on the registration exercise, he said, has been scheduled in Lodwar.
On administrative reforms, the CS said all gazetted sub-counties have been operationalised, with the ministry shifting focus to divisions and locations. He cited budgetary constraints as a challenge.
He said the government requires about Sh2.2 billion to operationalise pending administrative units.
Murkomen also told MPs that the ministry is working with the Ministry of Lands to secure and document public land belonging to security agencies.
He warned that several police and immigration properties had been grabbed in towns including Kitui, Kitale, Nakuru and Kisumu.
He urged lawmakers to support efforts to fence and protect public assets, including through the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF).
On the dusk-to-dawn curfew in Lamu, the CS said the measure had reduced insecurity and would be reviewed once the situation stabilises, particularly as the country approaches the election period.
“No inconvenience can be equated to loss of life,” he said, adding that past attacks along the Lamu corridor had necessitated preventive measures.
Murkomen also addressed reports that tear gas was lobbed into a church at ACK Witima Parish in Othaya during a service attended by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and his allies.
He said it is not government policy to disrupt places of worship and condemned politicians who attend public events accompanied by armed groups.
“Churches are sacred places. They should never be defiled by politicians, whether supporting side A or side B,” he said, adding that investigations are underway to establish whether police officers or civilians were responsible for the incident.
Those found culpable, he said, would face prosecution.
In a move aimed at strengthening grassroots security, Murkomen announced that village elders will begin receiving a monthly stipend of Sh3,000 starting in the next financial year, following ongoing vetting and registration.
Speaker Wetang’ula convened the Kamukunji session to allow MPs to raise security concerns directly with the Interior Ministry. Lawmakers called for more police vehicles, increased operational funding and equitable establishment of administrative units across constituencies.
