NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 3 — The government has launched a special intelligence-led, multi-agency security operation to restore peace and stability in Mukogodo Forest and surrounding areas along the Laikipia–Isiolo border, following a resurgence of isolated banditry incidents.
Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen announced the operation on Tuesday after chairing a high-level security consultative meeting in Kurum, Laikipia North, attended by security agencies, local leaders, community representatives, and other stakeholders.
The operation will involve multiple security agencies working jointly and will be driven by actionable intelligence aimed at dismantling criminal networks operating in the area.
According to the Cabinet Secretary, the key objectives of the operation include apprehending bandits and their accomplices, recovering illegal firearms and ammunition, retrieving stolen livestock, and restoring law and order in Mukogodo Forest and its environs.
“Even as we consolidate the gains made in restoring peace and security across the Kerio Valley and Northern Kenya, a few isolated insecurity incidents have been reported in parts of the region, including Mukogodo along the Laikipia–Isiolo border,” Murkomen said.
“We are launching a special intelligence-led, multi-agency operation to secure Mukogodo Forest and its environs, with the objective of apprehending the criminals and their accomplices, recovering illegal firearms and ammunition, stolen livestock, and restoring law and order in the area,” he added.
Murkomen emphasized that the government remains determined to ensure that recent security gains are not reversed, warning that decisive action would be taken against criminal elements operating in the region.
As part of a broader security and development strategy, the Cabinet Secretary said the government is fast-tracking the rehabilitation of key security roads and expanding mobile network coverage to open up the remote area and improve response times by security agencies.
He also noted that the capacity of National Police Reservists (NPRs) will be enhanced to complement the work of regular security forces.
The meeting was attended by senior security officials, including Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, Deputy Inspector General in charge of the Administration Police Service Gilbert Masengeli, General Service Unit Commandant Ranson Lolmodooni, Operation Maliza Uhalifu (OMU) Commander Brigadier Alex Kiraguri, Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Dr. Abdi Hassan, and Regional Police Commander Samuel Ndanyi.
Several leaders from the region were also present, among them Laikipia North MP Sarah Korere, Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri, County MP Jane Kagiri, and former National Assembly Speaker Francis Ole Kaparo.
The government reiterated its commitment to working closely with local communities and leaders to achieve sustainable peace, urging residents to cooperate with security agencies by sharing information and rejecting criminal activity.
