Tower of babel: Security chiefs at odds as Kenya faces mounting threats

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen arriving for a security meeting at Kambi Samaki in Baringo County on May 2, 2025. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard] Conflicting public statements by senior security officials have laid bare apparent divisions within the National Security Council and its advisory body, raising questions about whether the issue stems from poor communication or weak coordination. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has appeared to contradict President William Ruto's recent remarks-made in the presence of visiting Finnish President Alexander Stubb-that all abducted Kenyans had been reunited with their families. "All of them have been brought back to their families and to their homes, and I have given firm instructions that nothing of that nature will happen again," President Ruto said. However, speaking on Citizen TV on Wednesday evening, Murkomen claimed the President had been misunderstood, insisting his remarks were taken out of context. "The fact that we said the abductions have stopped does not mean we were the ones behind them," he said. Murkomen argued that President Ruto had used the term "abduction" merely to acknowledge public reports, not to imply state involvement. He insisted the more appropriate phrase should have been "missing persons." President Ruto's remarks have stirred public debate, with many Kenyans interpreting them as an admission of state involvement in the abductions. "In the first instance of reporting, nobody says so-and-so has been abducted because abduction implies culpability," Murkomen added. "The truth is that there are reports of missing persons. Over the last seven years, there have been about 700 such cases. Last year alone, 123 were reported missing, and this year about 13 so far." But critics are not convinced by the so-called clarification. Former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi accused the President of issuing contradictory statements in an attempt to obscure government involvement in the abductions. "On 28 December, the President said he would end abductions. In October, he claimed he didn't know anyone who had been abducted. Now he says abductees have reunited with their families," Muturi said yesterday on Spice FM. "These are not the words of a leader committed to truth and justice." Muturi said the President's comments were particularly insensitive to families whose loved ones are still. "As Commander-in-Chief, the President must act-not dismiss the pain of victims." Muturi, whose son Leslie was abducted in 2024 after being linked to youth-led protests, has publicly accused the National Intelligence Service (NIS) of orchestrating the disappearance. "The mere fact that Noordin [Haji] admitted to having my son-and promised the President to release him within an hour, which happened-is proof enough," said Muturi. He added that when he served on the National Security Council, cases of enforced disappearance were never officially discussed. "Contrary to what President Ruto claimed at Sagana State Lodge, the Cabinet never deliberated on abductions or extrajudicial killings."Appearing before Parliament's Defence and Foreign Relations Committee on Monday, NIS Director-General Noordin Haji painted a grim picture of Kenya's border security. He warned MPs that armed groups, including Ethiopia's Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), had already occupied parts of Kenyan territory, while national security agencies remained underfunded and ill-equipped. "We are inadequately equipped to monitor and secure our borders," Haji told the committee. "It saddens me that we do not take national security seriously. Over the past decade, the security sector has not received adequate funding for essential equipment." In a rare admission, Haji revealed that the OLA-long regarded as a foreign threat-had established a foothold within Kenya's borders. "There are areas within our territory not fully under government control. Armed groups such as the OLA have exploited weak border security to establish a presence and threaten local communities." His testimony stood in stark contrast to that of the Vice Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, Lt. Gen. John Omenda, who downplayed the threats and focused instead on routine matters such as recruitment. Omenda did not mention cross-border incursions or equipment shortages in his address to the same committee. A statement on the Ministry of Defence website summarised Omenda's remarks, stating that he had emphasised the need for ongoing recruitment to ensure "career progression among current service members," with no urgency expressed about security threats. This apparent disconnect among top security officials has sparked growing concerns about fragmented leadership-at a time when Kenya faces cross-border cattle raids from Uganda, an influx of small arms from South Sudan, militant activity along the Somali frontier, and now territorial encroachment by Ethiopian rebels. Last year, then-Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua accused Haji of failing to anticipate the backlash over the Finance Bill 2024, which ignited nationwide protests. "He must take responsibility for failing the Kenyan nation," Gachagua said. "He must do the honourable thing and resign." He also criticised the NIS for allegedly reverting to Nyayo-era tactics. "I call on the National Intelligence Service not to take us back to the dark days of propaganda and political sabotage," he said. Security experts warn that disunity at the top could have devastating consequences. "The first rule of intelligence is silence and cohesion. What we're witnessing is a breakdown in discipline," said one retired NIS agent. Critics argue that despite heavy investments in surveillance, border patrols, and elite units, the absence of a coherent strategic direction has weakened Kenya's security infrastructure. In border counties such as Mandera, Turkana, and Marsabit, residents say insecurity remains pervasive, with little to no government presence. The cost has been high. In 2025 alone, at least 21 people-including a police officer-have been killed in bandit attacks. In March, six officers were killed in a suspected Al-Shabaab ambush in Garissa. Meanwhile, the killing of civilians by police continues to tarnish Kenya's human rights record. Human rights groups maintain that government denials are not backed by facts. "Kenya continues to experience an unprecedented number of abductions and killings with no satisfactory answers from agencies mandated to protect the public," said Amnesty International. Since June 2024, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has recorded more than 63 extrajudicial killings and 89 enforced disappearances-29 of whom are still missing. Former Chief Justice David Maraga condemned President Ruto's claim that all abductees had been reunited with their families. "It is unconscionable to hear the President claim-without any apology to victims or families-that there are no enforced disappearances," Maraga said. "How long shall the lives of innocent Kenyans be so devalued and dismissed?" Opposition leaders also criticised the President's remarks, calling them "reckless." People's Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua said Ruto's comments amounted to an admission of human rights violations. "Now that Ruto has acknowledged abductions, he must also acknowledge extrajudicial killings and disappearances-and the role of security forces. He must ensure that perpetrators, including those identified in the BBC documentary, are held accountable," she said.

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