Quell attacks before they escalate, Laikipia leaders urge security team

Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri and woman representative Jane Kagiri (right) with residents during a boda boda groups empowerment forum in Maundu Ni Meeri area on November 8, 2025

Leaders from Laikipia County have called on security agencies to step up surveillance in the Laikipia North constituency to quell rising conflicts before they escalate.

This followed attacks carried out in the Naibor area that left two dead in what is suspected to be a retaliatory attack last week.

The Samburu and Pokoto communities in Sossian ward have perennially been engaging in attacks and counter-attacks over pasture for decades.

Despite a relative calm that reigned in the area in the last three years, residents are again living in apprehension after the raids, prompting local leaders to call for urgent action by the county security team.

Leaders who included Mwangi Kiunjuri (Laikipia East), Sarah Korere (Laikipia North), and Jane Kagiri (woman representative) said despite the government’s effort to quell conflicts in the area, normalcy has been disrupted by the attacks as residents fear more retaliations.

The leaders spoke at the Maundu ni Meeri area in Sossian during an empowerment forum targeting boda boda groups.

“We’re calling on the government to silence the guns that have been going off in these areas so people can live in peace,” Kiunjuri said.

In June, two others were killed in Matigari area and several homes were torched in another bout of raids.

One of the deceased, Stephen Lukivi, who was a father of four, had visited his family from Nakuru, where he worked as a tour guide, and was preparing to leave when his family was attacked.

Lukivi managed to flee, but the attackers who torched his home chased and caught up with him before killing him.

Kiunjuri, however, challenged the two communities to prioritize peaceful co-existence to stem the conflicts that have continuously claimed lives and caused residents to live in tension.

Kiunjuri noted that the county is culturally diverse and called on communities that practice farming, pastoralism, and business activities to respect each other.

“We are asking you to rise up as true custodians of peace and transcend ethnic, social, and political divides in order to foster a culture of coexistence anchored in mutual respect. Laikipia is large enough to accommodate all of us.”

Kagiri on her part said tribal and divisive elements will not be allowed in the county, noting that as leaders, they have agreed to work together to ensure all areas benefit from development.

Korere challenged the county government to handle land issues with care to avoid sparking security disturbances.

The county administration is in the process of subdividing a section of 44,000 acres of land for about 10,000 squatters living in Kirimon.

The squatters have lived in Kirimon Game Reserve for decades, and a presidential directive issued in April last year kick-started the process of their resettlement that is expected to end a long-standing dispute over the land.

But Korere cautioned the county against allowing graft to infiltrate the process, citing reports of investors included in the list of beneficiaries.

“We understand that investors are good for the economy, but that land should only be issued to residents living in the area from all communities. These people can also use the land and become investors once they receive it,” she said.

Last Friday, County Commissioner Onesmus Kyatha announced that a multi-agency security team had been formed to fight rising criminal activities and bolster security ahead of the festive season.

The county faces crimes such as muggings, narcotics use, Female Genital Mutilation, teen pregnancies and early marriages, among others.