Murkomen blames banditry in Northern Kenya on marginalisation, underdevelopment

Appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Internal Security and National Administration on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, Murkomen said the availability of illegal firearms, competition for pasture, and banditry were among the factors fuelling insecurity in the region.

Appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Internal Security and National Administration on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, Murkomen said the availability of illegal firearms, competition for pasture, and banditry were among the factors fuelling insecurity in the region.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has attributed persistent banditry in Samburu, Isiolo and Turkana counties to marginalisation and underdevelopment, saying security operations alone will not end the problem.

Appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Internal Security and National Administration on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, Murkomen said the availability of illegal firearms, competition for pasture, and banditry were among the factors fuelling insecurity in the region.

“In my personal opinion, I believe the cause of banditry is marginalisation. Underdevelopment is a sustaining factor to banditry,” Murkomen said.

He said the government needed to invest in roads, schools and other infrastructure in affected areas to address the problem in the long term.

“Unless roads and schools are developed, police will continue to deal with bandits over and over and over again,” he said.

Murkomen questioned why banditry was prevalent in parts of northern Kenya but had not taken root in more developed towns.

“You should ask yourself why there are no bandits in Eldoret or Kitale? It is because of development. Why does it not spill over Meru town? The problem is not you, it is underdevelopment,” he said.

The CS also disclosed that security agencies had recovered 3,221 of the 4,306 livestock reported stolen between June and September 2026.

The meeting, however, turned tense as MPs raised concerns over the killing of livestock and civilians during security operations in Samburu.

Murkomen said that on September 16, security officers who were on patrol received information about a suspected banditry attack but were ambushed by the attackers.

“Five people were fatally injured,” he said, adding that the police occurrence book recorded 237 cattle as having been killed during the incident, as opposed to the 700 claimed by local leaders.

Murkomen urged leaders to avoid making statements that could inflame tensions in the area.

“Leaders should restrain themselves against inflammatory statements,” he said.

According to the CS, the operation that followed was aimed at recovering ammunition held by the bandits.

“The operation was initiated to go for the ammunition which the bandits held,” Murkomen said.

Samburu North MP Eli Letipila challenged the government’s handling of the operation, saying livestock were central to the community's way of life.

“Livestock for us are sacred. Animals were innocent. Coming to spray bullets aimlessly at animals was wrong,” Letipila said.

The MP also raised fresh concerns over insecurity in his constituency, saying an attack was underway in his village in Marti at the time of the meeting.

“As we speak right now there’s an attack happening at my village in Marti. Is the CS aware? A Grade Six student was on Saturday gunned down while herding cows,” he said.

Buuri MP Rindikiri Mugambi, however, cautioned against focusing only on the loss of livestock, saying human lives should remain the priority.

“We are hearing cows are sacred but stealing cows is also illegal. People were killed and human blood is more sacred,” Mugambi said.

Samburu West MP Naisula Lesuuda urged the committee to handle the matter carefully to prevent the meeting from escalating.

“Let’s leave the matter of sacredness aside. This meeting can easily go south,” she said.

Murkomen also defended the government's position on compensation, saying there was currently no legal framework allowing the state to compensate people whose livestock were lost during the security operation.

“From a perspective of the criminal justice system, it is not possible to compensate. There’s no legal policy to compensate those who lost their livestock,” he said.

He also questioned the authenticity of some images circulating on social media showing large numbers of dead cattle.

“I saw pictures, which I don’t think are authentic, of dozens of cows which were killed,” Murkomen said.

He added that any police officer found to have unlawfully shot livestock would face disciplinary action.

The CS further called for the restoration of funding for security roads, saying the Interior Ministry had not received dedicated funds for the roads for about three years.

“For the last three years or so, the Ministry has not received money for security roads. The Ministry is only depending on the Ministry of Transport,” he said.

Murkomen also warned political leaders against turning insecurity into a political issue, particularly as the country heads into an election year.

“I really beg the leaders here not to politicise security. I know it is an election year,” he said.

The government has previously identified security roads, improved communication networks and the deployment of National Police Reservists as part of measures to address insecurity in Samburu and neighbouring counties.