Isiolo, Meru residents back Samburu security operation

Isiolo and Meru residents during a meeting in Isiolo town on the on-going security operation in Samburu on September 27, 2026. [Ali Abdi, Standard]

A section of Isiolo and Meru leaders and residents want the government to continue with the security operation in parts of Samburu county.

The residents drawn from the Borana, Somali, Meru and Turkana communities living in Isiolo and Meru counties told the Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen not to be swayed by political rhetoric to suspend the operations to flash out bandits in parts of Samburu and recover livestock stolen in past raids.

Speaking in Isiolo town on Sunday, they group was reacting to demands by Samburu county leaders and professionals to suspend the on-going multi agency security operation in Lantana, Sereolipi, Lososia and Laresoro locations in Samburu East Constituency, aimed at flashing out criminals involved in banditry, cattle rustling and highway robbery, recovery of illegal firearms including those belonging to police and arrest of suspects.

The three areas, along with Mukogodo forest in Laikipia North and Kipsing in Isiolo had been gazetted by the Interior Ministry as hideouts of bandits.

The operation started on Thursday last week, a day after bandits suspected to be from Samburu East killed five people including two police officers attached to Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU) in Gotu, Isiolo County after ambushing a vehicle they were traveling in. They were searching for body of an elderly man who was killed the previous day.

The attackers fled with three rifles, ammunition, hand grenades, walkie talkies and handcuffs. 

On Friday last week, Samburu leaders including Governor Jonathan Lelelit and Senator Steve Lelengwe criticised the security operation claiming the police had allegedly targeted innocent civilians and killed more than 100 livestock. 

Along with a group of professionals, the Samburu leaders demanded for immediate withdrawal and suspension of the operation and compensation to families whose animals were shot dead.

The police say the livestock were used as 'shield' by bandits who were involved in exchange for gunfire with security personnel during one of the operation.

On Saturday, Murkomen acknowledged that some livestock had died but vowed that the operation would continue until it's objectives were achieved.

On Sunday, Bakir Mohamed, a professional from Isiolo and spokesperson for the groups from Isiolo and Meru said in a statement, " the loss of livestock (in Samburu through shooting by police) is regrettable and must be investigated. However, accountability cannot be selective. For years, we have endured repeated attacks, killings, livestock raids, displacement and destruction of properties associated with criminal gangs operating from outside".

In about two years, the group said 112 people, who include national police reservists had been killed in Kom and Biliko areas of Merti sub county in Isiolo, Gotu, Ngaremara and Kipsing in Isiolo Central and Tigania East, Tigania West and Igembe South in Meru and thousands of livestock stolen.

Chari Ward MCA Abdullahi Golicha said the grazing field of Kom, Biliko, and Sabarwawa in Merti sub county had been abandoned due to runaway insecurity created by activities of bandits adding that hundreds of pastoralists with their livestock had been affected.

"We want all the herders from outside Isiolo County grazing in Cherab to be evicted. The grazing zones have been turned into killing fields. The operation must go on until all our stolen livestock are recovered and the bandits are disarmed and arrested," said Mr Golicha.

Luke Mithika, a livestock trader faulted Samburu county leaders for politicising the current operation saying they kept quiet for years when killings and rustling were taking place in Isiolo and Meru Counties.

"They have now turned criminal activities into politics and seeking support of leaders from communities they are related to like those from Narok and Kajiado. This is wrong as we are talking about a primitive culture of cattle rustling that has now been commercialised and politicised," said Mr Mithika.

Madina Hassan, the Gender secretary of Kenya Union Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), Isiolo branch said teachers and students had been affected immensely by insecurity in various parts of Isiolo citing Kipsing, Lebarua, Gotu and Kom as the most affected. 

Madina revisited the killing of Lebarua Secondary School deputy principal by bandits last February and a primary school colleague from a school in Kipsing critically injured under similar circumstance.

The two schools were temporarily closed but when four teachers who claimed their lives were under threat failed to report back when the institutions reopened, they were interdicted.

The unionist now wants the intervention of the Interior CS whom she urged to prevail on his counterparts from Education ministry and the Teachers Service Commission on behalf of members affected by insecurity in the affected areas.

"Mr Murkomen had gazetted Kipsing as a hotspot for bandits. Non local teachers are under great danger and are not able to work in an area where their noble work is abused," she vowed.

Anab Kassim, a women and human rights activists called on both the the CS for Interior,National government administrators and political leaders not to mix politics with security issue.

"It is a fact that there's a major insecurity in Isiolo-Meru-Samburu corridor. Many lives have been lost in Isiolo and Meru and families left impoverished after losing their animals to rustlers. We don't want politics to influence security issue and the on-going operation has to continue," said Anab.

She called for investigation into activities of bandits in the region adding that their financiers and those providing logistics during raids should also be arrested.

"Two rifles stolen during recent attack in Gotu were handed over to the police by a group of elders and nobody seemed to know who stole them. Bandits drive away hundreds of livestock during raids and no one in their village know them. Our elders, leaders and even chiefs are lying when they say they don't know the criminals in their midsts," observed the activist.

Samuel Lokoro, a pastor said banditry and rustling had turned into barbarism citing the killings that involved beheading of minors by sides from Samburu and Isiolo.

"Early in September a seven-year-old-boy was beheaded. It's this kind of barbarism that we need to address as a society where this happens is sick. We appeal to the State not to be swayed by politicians who use their communities to push for their selfish agenda " said Lokoro.