Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced a renewed crackdown on banditry and illegal firearms along the Turkana–West Pokot border, promising decisive action to restore security in the region.
Murkomen revealed that ongoing security operations have already recovered over 1,200 illegal guns in parts of West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet, and Baringo counties.
He said that as the operations advance toward Turkana, authorities expect to recover at least 3,000 additional firearms.
“We shall secure and free the border between Turkana and West Pokot,” Murkomen said, adding that the government is prepared to confront resistance from individuals allegedly sponsoring banditry.
The CS emphasized that the campaign against banditry will be free from political interference. “We are not going to politicize security. We will deal with banditry with finality,” he stated.
Murkomen concluded by highlighting the government’s commitment to long-term peace, saying that children in Turkana and West Pokot should compete in classrooms “with pens and books, not guns and bullets.”
The crackdown is part of broader security reforms aimed at professionalizing the police, modernizing operational capacity, and enhancing law enforcement in Kenya’s conflict-prone regions.
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