Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has announced his intentions to gazette some parts of Isiolo, Marsabit, and Samburu Counties as security operation zones in sustained efforts to end banditry.
Speaking during the graduation of 140 National Police Reservists (NPR) at Ndumuru in Igembe North, Meru County, the CS said he will next week impose curfews to flush out cattle rustlers who have invaded parts of Nyambene region.
“From next week, the Government will commence an operation in parts of Eastern Region as an extension to the ongoing Operation Maliza Uhalifu in North Rift Valley Counties,” the CS said.
Speaking during the graduation of 140 National Police Reservists (NPR) at Ndumuru in Igembe North, Meru County, Kindiki said he will gazette these areas by next week where serious operations and curfews will be introduced to weed out cattle rustlers that were spilling to parts of Nyambene region.
He said the issue of cattle rustling has been rampant in these areas and as a result, his ministry will take the same measures they were using in other similar areas in the country to end the culture of stealing animals as well as killing innocent Kenyans.
“The vice is a longstanding issue for the last 40 years affecting 14 Counties in the republic. When President William Ruto was campaigning he promised to end this issue completely during his reign.”
“For the time we have been in office we have tried to deal with these things and though we have not succeeded, we have put a foundation that if we build on it we will eradicate the menace,” said Professor Kindiki.
This year in February, he added, we announced security operations in Samburu, West Pokot, Turkana, Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, and Laikipia Counties which were largely affected.
We have had this operation since that time and we took more than 3000 police officers, NPR, and the Kenya Defence Forces we have reduced the issue by 70 percent but still we have a long way to go.
“For the time we have been in office we have tried to deal with these things and though we have not succeeded, we have put a foundation that if we build on it we will eradicate the menace,” said Professor Kindiki.
This year in February, he added, we announced security operations in Samburu, West Pokot, Turkana, Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, and Laikipia Counties which were largely affected.
“We have had this operation since that time and we took more than 3000 police officers, NPR, and the Kenya Defence Forces and we have reduced the issue by 70 percent but still we have a journey to go” he noted.
He called on the residents to cooperate with security officers if at all they wanted the exercise to succeed.
“This year we have started a journey to liberate our places that were raided by banditry. While 2023 was about flipping the issue of cattle rustling, 2024 will be sustaining the victory against livestock rustlers and bandits,” said Mr Kindiki.
He said the NPR graduands will stay in a camp, where the Interior Ministry will provide resources and the Inspector General will work with Regional Commanders and Officers Commanding Stations to ensure proper command and control in order to work with synchrony with police service to stop the banditry menace once and for all.
“The Inspector General will direct how operations will be led incase of insecurity issues, and NPR will join other security officers for a short time to curb insecurity issues,” said Professor Kindiki.
He they the Government has ordered more security equipment including vehicles under the police equipment modernisation program some of which will be taken to Nyambene region.
He congratulated the 140 NPRs and wished them well in their duty to help police and other security officers enhance security and especially to deal with banditry in the region.
The CS urged political leaders not to politicize security operations and warned politicians who are abusing government officers in public forums saying that a tiff action will be taken against them.
Eastern region commissioner Paul Rotich said the group was the best-trained group of NPR in the region.
He assured members of the public of full support in fighting criminals in the region.
Igembe North Mp Julius Taitumu welcomed the move by the Ministry of the interior through the leadership of CS Kindiki to ensure that the Nyambene region which borders Isiolo county has armed NPR, adding that this was the best Christmas gift to the residents by the Kenya Kwanza administration.
