Herder shot, killed in attempted cattle rustling incident in West Pokot

Interior CS KIpchumba Murkomen was in Baringo at the weekend for a peace tournament. /MINA

A 14-year-old herder was shot dead and another boy injured in an attack by armed men in Alale, West Pokot County, on Saturday evening.

According to police, the boys were grazing goats in Morita when the gunmen struck.

The teenager was shot in the head and died on the spot, while his 13-year-old companion sustained a chest injury and was rushed to hospital for treatment. The attackers later fled without stealing any animals.

Security officers have launched a manhunt for the gang as fears of revenge attacks spread among locals. The victim’s body was taken to the mortuary pending further procedures.

The area falls under Operation Maliza Uhalifu, a joint security initiative aimed at ending banditry and cattle rustling in the North Rift and Upper Eastern regions.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the operation has already achieved significant progress in silencing guns and restoring calm across the Kerio Valley.

“Building on this momentum, we are intensifying interventions geared towards deepening cohesion, fostering reconciliation, and pacifying the region further for sustainable development,” Murkomen said in a statement on Saturday.

The government says the operation is not only focused on law enforcement but also on long-term solutions to the decades-old menace of cattle rustling.

Counties targeted include Baringo, West Pokot, Turkana, Samburu, Marsabit, Meru, and Isiolo.

Murkomen noted that beyond disarmament, strategic investment and sustainable development are central to addressing insecurity in the region.

He outlined plans to provide subsidised farm inputs and extension services to revive agriculture, offering pastoralist communities alternative livelihoods.

“We are coming to dismantle not only the criminals themselves but also to bring down the entire chain that has been the cattle and livestock rustling industry,” he said.

The CS also announced fresh vetting of National Police Reservists as part of efforts to strengthen operations. Going forward, he said, NPR officers will operate under the direct command of Officers Commanding Police Stations to improve coordination and accountability.

Despite recent gains, Saturday’s attack is a reminder of the fragility of peace in the North Rift, where cattle raids and armed violence have long threatened lives and livelihoods.