By Kepher Otieno - Reporter
11 December 2025 - Kenya’s latest push to quell chronic insecurity in the North Rift has reached a notable milestone, with Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen announcing that more than 1,200 illegal firearms have been voluntarily surrendered.
The figure, shared during a women empowerment forum in Kolowa, Kerio Valley, underscores the scale of the region’s longstanding problem with armed banditry—and the government’s renewed effort to dismantle it.
The disarmament exercise spans several banditry-prone counties, where decades of resource-based conflict, retaliatory raids, and weak state presence have entrenched a cycle of violence.
Murkomen framed the ongoing programme as part of a broader national security strategy: an approach pairing intensified operations with community cooperation to secure durable peace.
According to him, early indicators—fewer attacks, improved mobility, and calmer interactions in hotspots—suggest that the campaign is making headway.
Yet, while the surrender of 1,200 guns signals progress, analysts caution that such numbers reveal only part of the picture.
The North Rift’s security challenges are deeply embedded in socioeconomic and cultural dynamics.
Disarmament is often cyclical: weapons flow out during government crackdowns, only to return later through illicit cross-border trade.
Sustained results require continuous community engagement, long-term development investment, and strategies that address root causes like cattle-rustling economies, youth unemployment, and historical grievances.
Local leaders attending the event—among them Baringo Senator Kiprono Chemitei and Tiaty MP William Kamket—praised the relative calm now observed along the Kerio Valley.
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Their remarks reflected a rare moment of optimism in a region accustomed to recurring tension.
In publicly endorsing the initiative, they signaled political alignment with the government’s security agenda, a factor often critical for community buy-in.
Still, the success of the programme will hinge on whether residents maintain trust in security agencies.
Murkomen’s call for continued cooperation underscores one of the central dilemmas of past disarmament drives where it is alleged that community members feel exposed after surrendering weapons unless the state can guarantee round-the-clock security.
Without that assurance, disarmament can be perceived as risky—leaving villages vulnerable to rival groups who may be slower to comply.
In this context, the government’s challenge is as much about building confidence as collecting guns.
Long-term metrics of success will include not only reduced weapon numbers but also measurable drops in raids, improved access to markets and schools, and visible state presence in previously marginalized expanses of the North Rift.
For now, the surrender of over a thousand guns marks a meaningful shift.
Whether it becomes the foundation of lasting peace—or another temporary lull—will depend on what follows: the consistency of security operations, the depth of community engagement, and the government’s willingness to pair disarmament with sustained development across the region.
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