•Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i announced a massive disarmament operation will be launched alongside social development interventions.
•The approach links national and local level security operations to provide urgent interventions to address the wider political, economic and social drivers of violence.
Image: CYRUS OMBATI
The government will impose a dusk-to-dawn curfew in Elgeyo Marakwet to pave the way for security agencies to mount a security operation against banditry and deadly conflicts in the area.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i announced a massive disarmament operation will be launched alongside social development interventions to restore order in the area and other parts of the North Rift.
“We are beginning to draw two critical exercises that we want to do which include reorganizing deployment in that area and declaration of a curfew subject to clearance by the National Security Council so that we can have an intensive operation similar to the one we launched in Marsabit,” he said.
The CS blamed the insecurity incidences on political incitement and expressed frustrations at the lack of goodwill and cooperation from area leaders.
He compared the insecurity in Kerio Valley to the situation in Marsabit County where an ongoing security operation has restored peace.
“There are criminals challenging the government’s resolve, and we are going to pursue them to the farthest end possible. We have exhausted all the means to arrest the situation in that area. It now requires a whole new approach because we have been left with no option. The time has come for us to deal with it with unprecedented firmness.”
The decision to change tack is informed by the recommendations of a special team dispatched to review the security situation in the area following the killing of three school children earlier this week.
The CS spoke Friday at the AP Training College in Embakasi after a National Security Assessment Session with top regional security committees ahead of the August polls.
“We have received security reports from each of the eight Regional Commissioners and Police Commanders. We are now finalizing our SOPs so that we are ready to support the IEBC in August. In two of our regions, we have begun doing simulations, and the rest will follow suit next week.”
The approach links national and local level security operations to provide urgent interventions to address the wider political, economic and social drivers of violence.
The meeting was also attended by Interior PS Karanja Kibicho, IG Hillary Mutyambai and the two Deputy Inspector Generals, Edward Mbugua and Noor Gabow as well as members of the National Police Service Commission (NPSC).