By Abdimalik Hajir - Reporter
Kenya, July 9, 2026 - The coastal regional security committee has launched a massive security operation to mob up 123 illegally held firearms in 11 locations within Bangale and Tana North sub-counties, Tana River County.
According to the coast regional commissioner Paul Rotich the government ‘can no longer sit back and watch as communities continue to butcher each other’.
Addressing chiefs and their assistants together with peace committee elders drawn from the locations in Madodgo today, the regional commissioner said that if the firearms are surrendered, then the operation will be called off.
The operation follows the lapse of the 60 days’ amnesty issued in February by the government for the surrender of illegally held firearms and a deadly intercommunity clash in Bangale last month that left 6 people dead.
During the clashes, Bangale OCS collapsed and died from a cardiac arrest as he led a team of security officers in pursuit of the gunmen behind the killing of the 6 victims.
“We gave you enough time in February this year to surrender the firearms. We further warned of a forceful disarmament but you downplayed it. I have come today to announce the commencement of the operation,” Rotich said.
Rotich read out the locations and the number of firearms each was supposed to surrender. Bangale location leads with 37 firearms followed by Chewelle with 22, Areri 13 and Duka Notu 10. Others are Hirimani 9, Madogo 8, Bura and Nanighi 7 each, Boka 5 and Sala 3.
“We have the names of individuals holding these guns, their mobile numbers and where they stay. We also know the make of the firearms and their conditions. So don’t try to fool us by presenting old and unserviceable firearms,” he added.
The administrator tasked the chiefs and their assistants to take the lead in ensuring that the firearms are surrendered, failure to which they will be held personally responsible.
“We are aware that the chiefs and their assistants know these individuals and they should ask them to surrender the arms. If they refuse then we shall use force to get these arms,” he said.
He said that some of the suspects are planning to flee but warned that they ‘can run but we shall eventually catch up with them.
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Rotich said that the government is this time round determined to ensure that all illegally firearms are surrendered.
“We have had enough of this cat and mouse game. This time round all these arms must be surrendered by whichever means,” he noted.
The regional commissioner warned individuals intending to frustrate or slow down the operation that they will ‘face the full force of the law irrespective of their status in the society’.
He said that the government is spending so much resources in maintaining security in the area at the expense of development.
“Without peace, development will be elusive. The rest of the country is competing for a share of development resources while yours are being used to maintain security. This is shameful,” he said.
The elders and leaders who spoke during the meeting were in support of the disarmament exercise but were quick to urge the security agencies to be more proactive in future.
“The government cannot afford to sit back and allow the buildup of this number of arms and killings in order to carry out disarmament exercises. These arms should be mobbed up and ensure not even a single one of them are acquired again,” Hussein Roba from the Banagale location said.
"Disarmament will be painful. We have been through it and I want to urge all those with the firearms to surrender before the operation gains momentum,” he said.
Present were the security committees from coastal regional, Tana River county, Tana North and Bangale sub-counties.