Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has ordered security agencies to protect natural resources, as competition over land, water and pasture drives deadly communal violence across the country.
Speaking at the Integrated Natural Resource Management Programme start-up workshop in Eldoret on Tuesday, Omollo said security agencies would go beyond routine law enforcement to ensure scarce natural resources are protected, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions.
"When natural resources are sustainably managed and equitably accessed, communities become more resilient, livelihoods are strengthened and stability is reinforced," he said.
Pastoralist counties including Samburu, West Pokot, Turkana and Baringo have for years been flashpoints for resource-driven clashes, with fatal retaliatory attacks prompting the government to declare some areas security-disturbed zones.
The violence has not been confined to the north. In April last year, a deadly confrontation erupted between residents of Angata Barikoi and government-sanctioned land surveyors operating under police protection, leaving at least five people dead.
Locals accused the state of grabbing their land during a land adjudication exercise.
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In December, fresh clashes between Kipsigis and Maasai communities in the area killed four people and triggered a dusk-to-dawn curfew.
A 2023 report by the International Organisation for Migration found most conflict hotspots are concentrated in areas with prime locations and high availability of contested resources, with raids intensifying during rainy seasons, pointing to the role of climate change in driving resource-based conflict.
Omollo noted security planning must now account for unpredictable weather, land degradation and resource scarcity.
"These realities remind us that the protection of natural resources is not only about conservation, it is about safeguarding livelihoods, preventing situations that may cause conflict, and protecting the long-term stability of our nation," he added.
The government is expected to roll out the INReMP initiative in 10 counties.
National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs) have been roped into the plan to mobilise citizens towards climate-smart agriculture, tree planting, and watershed restoration.