Governor Malombe appeals for reinforcement of border police posts

Families displaced as conflict rise in Kitui- Tana river border.[File,Standard]

Kitui County Governor Julius Malombe has urged the national government to staff and operationalize six police stations built by the county along the porous Kitui–Tana River border to enhance security in the area

Among these is Kwa Kamari Police Station, located in a volatile zone where a gun-toting militia gang killed seven people on Saturday.

Addressing the media yesterday, Malombe noted that Kwa Kamari Police Station is fully complete and ready for use, with facilities including a main administration block, staff quarters, pit latrine, solar power system, floodlights, fencing, and a gate.

The county chief added that his administration had constructed six police stations along the porous border and urged the quick deployment of personnel to enhance security presence and response.

Other completed stations awaiting operationalization include Mandongoi,  Kwa Ngongoo, Twambui, Imuumba, and Kona Kaliti, all along the restive border.

The governor emphasized that security remains a function of the national government, and called  on security agencies to act swiftly and decisively.

“We request the national security agencies to ensure that those responsible for this atrocity are apprehended and brought to justice,” Malombe said.

Malombe called for a multi-agency security operation involving the National Police Service, General Service Unit, Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenya Forest Service, working alongside county game rangers to flush out illegal occupants from the Mwingi National Game Reserve.

“We request the multi-agency security team to work together with our game rangers to plan and organize a security operation aimed at removing all the intruders within the Mwingi National Reserve," the governor said.

The suspected intruders inside the protected area include camel herders, believed to be armed with illegal firearms, charcoal burners, and other criminal elements.

To support the completed police stations, Governor Malombe revealed that his administration was installing 20,000-litre water tanks at four stations, with plans to drill and equip boreholes across the stations to ensure a reliable water supply for police officers.

Following the Kwa-Kamari attack, the county government dispatched medical and emergency teams to Tseikuru Sub-County Hospital to treat the injured and provide psychosocial support to affected families.

Last year, during his Jukwaa la Usalama meetings in Kitui town, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen commended governor Malombe to construct the police stations and promise deployment of police officers.