Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has announced the deployment of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) personnel in the vast Nyambene Game Reserve in Meru County as a means of curbing cattle rustling and banditry.
Prof Kindiki said the KWS security personnel who will now be stationed in the Nyambene Conservancy would work to seal off routes used by the usually heavily armed cattle raiders, blamed for numerous deaths, injuries and loss of large herds of livestock.
"The Nyambene Game Reserve has been operationalised this month and KWS officers have been deployed to seal off a major route used by bandits to access Meru," he said.
For a long time, Meru leaders had urged the national government to implement the operationalisation of the Nyambene Conservancy, an area that teems with small and big game as well as a host of numerous tourist attractions such as the Igombe Crater.
The area also boasts giraffes, zebras, antelopes and other flora and fauna and leaders and residents alike have asked the government to exploit and develop the area into a major tourist destination.
"The government has taken measures to arrest cattle thieves. From this month, we have deployed KWS in the Nyambene Conservancy, a corridor that the criminals use to enter (Meru) and steal livestock," Kindiki said.
The DP said the conservancy will act as a buffer zone, with the KWS personnel sealing the routes used by the cattle rustlers and bandits.
It is an announcement welcomed by the people, with George Murithi, a livestock trader, saying they had asked for it for a long time.
"Nyambene Game Reserve had remained a reserve just on paper, with no activity in the region. But it offers a lot of potential in terms of wildlife conservation, job creation and mitigation against cattle rustling," Mr Murithi said.
He said after the operationalisation they expect more activities in construction of 'security roads', communication and other infrastructure in the game reserve.
"While bringing in rangers, police and reservists is a positive development, we expect more action in terms of transforming the Nyambene Game Reserve into a full-fledged wildlife sanctuary. We want tourist attractions, lodges and other amenities, because with these the cattle rustlers will be driven away from these areas," he added.
DP Kindiki also said numbers of National Police Reservists (NPR) had been beefed up, exuding confidence that they will partner with other security agencies to curb the insecurity that had persisted for years.
"Additional NPR were passed out this week to support formed-up specialised security units to neutralise dangerous cattle rustlers and bandits who have terrorised communities in northern Meru for years," he said.
Kindiki added: "We are at full strength, so that they (reservists) can work with the police and other security forces to combat the cattle rustlers."
On the proliferation of illicit liquor, also a security issue, Kindiki vowed that he will lead the war against illicit and lethal alcoholic drinks blamed for deaths and for causing blindness and other forms of incapacitation in parts of the country.
As stakeholders worry about the proliferation of harmful alcoholic products in parts of the country, particularly in Central Kenya, DP Kindiki said he will lead efforts to rid the country of the alcohol, which he blamed for deaths and other harmful effects on consumers.
Speaking at Kiutine in Igembe Central, Meru County, on Friday, September 25, 2026, Prof Kindiki directed County Commissioners, Chiefs, Officer Commanding Station (OCS), Deputy County Commissioners and other administrative officials to work together as a team in the effort to eradicate the manufacture, distribution and sale of alcoholic drinks.
"People are using poisonous chemicals in alcohol. I will do all that I can in the Government's fight against those who are manufacturing poison in the name of alcohol," Kindiki, who was flanked by MPs Mpuru Aburi (Tigania East), Dan Kiili (Igembe Central) and other leaders, said.
He said the culprits were out to kill the consumers of the drinks but will be dealt with by the government.
"They want to kill our children, older persons. Nobody is going to be allowed to sell alcohol that is harmful to people's lives," he added.
Kindiki also took the opportunity to reassure the people in the Nyambene region (Tigania and Igembe) and other areas affected by cattle rustling and banditry that a security operation was underway in Isiolo and Samburu East.
At the same time, he said Sh10m had been released for the construction of a police station at Kiengu in Igembe Central, as part of efforts to bolster security in the area.
On politics, MPs Dan Kiili and Mpuru Aburi rallied the people to support President William Ruto's re-election with Kindiki as his running mate.
"We are going to support Ruto as President in 2027, then in 2032 we want Kindiki to be the first person from the Meru community to be President of Kenya," Aburi said.
