‘Enough of boardroom meetings; come to the ground’: Turkana residents tell CS Murkomen

By  Sammy Lutta

Correspondent

Nation Media Group

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen is facing growing backlash over the Government’s response to persistent bandit attacks along the Turkana-West Pokot border, amid mounting frustration among residents and local leaders who say security pledges are yet to translate into safety on the ground.

They are questioning the value of repeated meetings in Nairobi as livestock continue to be raided, families displaced and communities left vulnerable to attacks.

Some are now calling on the CS to leave the boardroom and visit the affected areas, saying the scale of the crisis can only be understood by engaging the communities living with it.

The criticism comes after a series of bandit attacks along the border in September in which livestock were driven away and families in Aroo and Turkana East sub-counties displaced.

Tension was also heightened along the Kitale-Lodwar road after highway bandits attacked a Turk Rift Shuttle vehicle near the Kenya Wildlife Service area on September 11, injuring two people.

The attacks have come despite security operations and peace initiatives in the region, raising questions among affected communities about the effectiveness of the Government’s response.

For the affected communities, the demand is on the government to shift from more promises to visible action, and from meetings with leaders in Nairobi to direct engagement with residents in the villages where the insecurity continues to exact its toll.

During a church service and fundraiser at Holy Family Parish Kanamkemer in Lodwar on September 27, Mr Murkomen, who was accompanied by his East African Community, Arid and Semi-Arid Lands and Regional Development counterpart Beatrice Askul, promised to meet Turkana leaders in Nairobi.

He told leaders present, including Governor Jeremiah Lomorukai, Senator James Lomenen, MPs Joseph Emathe (Turkana Central), Nicholas Ngikor (Turkana East), John Ariko (Turkana South), Daniel Epuyo (Turkana West), Protus Akuja (Loima) and Women Representative Cecilia Asinyen- that the meeting would deliberate on further interventions and organise public peace barazas to engage communities and strengthen local peace-building efforts.

But some residents say the response needs to move beyond consultations with leaders and reach communities bearing the brunt of the attacks.

Mr Joseph Egelan, a Lodwar resident, challenged the Interior CS to prioritise the lives of vulnerable communities along the border, saying families can be pushed into destitution by a single raid.

“Banditry-prone areas also have churches where the CS can go to for prayers as he condoles with families that have lost their loved ones to bandits. Boardroom meetings with people he talks to on phone or meets frequently in Nairobi can't solve banditry,” Mr Egelan said.

He said the CS should visit the border areas more often, just as Deputy President Kithure Kindiki did while serving as Interior CS, when he toured affected areas as part of efforts to address insecurity.

On September 29, Mr Murkomen met Turkana leaders, including Governor Lomorukai, MPs Ngikor, Ariko, Emathe, Akuja and Epuyo, MCAs and senior Government officials.

He said the input of local leaders was critical to development and service delivery because they interact with communities and have a good understanding of their priorities.

He said the meeting was aimed at exploring solutions to security and service-delivery challenges in their areas of representation.

“We agreed to recruit and train more national police reservists, prioritise operationalisation of administrative units in banditry-prone areas, expand national identification registration in underserved areas, and hold regular peace meetings between communities in the region,” he said.

Three days later, on October 2, the CS met leaders from West Pokot County, including Public Works Principal Secretary Joel Arumonyang, West Pokot Deputy Governor Robert Komolle, Senator Julius Murgor and MPs Peter Lochakapong (Sigor), Titus Lotee (Kacheliba), Samuel Moroto (Kapenguria) and David Pkosing (Pokot South).

Also present were County Deputy Speaker Victor Siywat and Secretary of National Administration Moses Lilan, among other Government officials.

Mr Murkomen said they had agreed to train and deploy more NPRs in areas facing security challenges, prioritise the operationalisation of administrative units, deploy additional police vehicles, realign security installations to meet operational needs and redeploy officers who had overstayed in operational areas.

He was categorical that the Kenya Kwanza government had made significant gains in restoring security in the Kerio Valley region.

“Intelligence-led operations to mop up illegal firearms are ongoing in the region alongside community engagements to secure remaining pockets,” he said.

The CS also signalled plans for a joint meeting bringing together leaders from Turkana and West Pokot counties.

But Turkana North MP Ekwom Nabuin, who was not part of the Nairobi meeting, challenged Mr Murkomen to stop what he described as closed-door meetings involving only a few selected leaders.

“True and lasting peace cannot be achieved through such closed-door meetings. The CS should come to the ground, meet the residents face-to-face in the villages, and listen to the painful reality they are experiencing. Only by engaging directly with the people on the ground will he understand the truth about the insecurity situation,” Mr Ekwom said.

He wants such meetings held in banditry-prone areas including Morulem, Nakwamoru and Kakong'u, where he said innocent people were being killed and livestock driven away by notorious bandits.

Mr Ekwom said meeting communities in these areas would help the CS appreciate the urgency of recruiting police reservists to protect lives and property in border areas characterised by difficult terrain and limited police presence.

“We don't want any more meetings, we want action on the ground so that our people are safe. The CS has for a long time been unable to deal with the real insecurity problem along the Turkana and Pokot border where there is Special Operations Group officers who for months are still searching for firearms in peaceful villages while avoiding known bandits hideouts,” he said.

He said he would not attend boardroom meetings because, in his view, there was nothing new being discussed.

“The only thing Mr Murkomen is being told is what he already knows — that livestock have been taken away and have not been recovered. Families have remained in destitution with no compensation or any form of livestock restocking or prompt relief food supplies,” he said.

Mr Ekwom said it was time the CS spent more time along the Turkana-West Pokot border, particularly in Kainuk and the larger Aroo sub-county.

He pointed to the presence of more than five police units and a military camp in the area, yet attacks and killings continue.

He also criticised the disarmament operation, saying innocent residents who had voluntarily surrendered illegal firearms were being exposed to attacks.

Mr Ekwom argued that the disarmament operation had not been properly conceptualised by security agencies, leaving villages that had previously relied on armed warriors for protection vulnerable to raids.

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