Interior Cabinet Secretary Kiphumba Murkomen launched a security operation in Isiolo, Samburu and Laikipia Counties following escalated conflict among locals.
In a statement released on Tuesday, February 3, Murkomen stated that officers will be deployed to counter criminals, including bandits, who had re-emerged in the county.
The mission of the operation is to recover all weapons in the hands of outlaws, who use them to conduct criminal activities.
"The operation targets illegal firearms, ammunition, criminals, and those abetting crime," the statement read in part.
The decision was reached after the CS held a meeting with Inspector General Douglas Kanja, top security officials, and the Non-Governmental Administrative Officers in the region.
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"We shall also reorganise the security teams on the ground to be able to respond better to threats, open up new security roads and work with other stakeholders to improve the network coverage," he disclosed.
Murkomen attributed the sudden rise in criminal activity to the ongoing drought in the region that caused scarcity of resources like water, which is already limited in the pastoral region.
He claimed that the re-emergence of bandits undermines the strides made following the implementation of the Operation Maliza Uhalifu (OMU) and other security interventions.
Multiple deaths have been reported, and several heads of cattle have been stolen in Isiolo County.
The latest incident involved the murder of a 15-year-old boy, who was gunned down by suspected bandits while herding cattle.
Isiolo Governor Hassan Guyo had issued a warning to bandits that he would not watch as they killed his people. He vowed to work with security agencies to protect the residents of his county and their property.
