Raiders kill one, steal animals just after Murkomen's tour

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, addresses the press on 26th June 2025 at Harambee House Nairobi. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard]

Cattle rustlers struck Kaongo village in Nyambene, Meru, killing one person, the son of the local chief, a day after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen visited the area

The rustlers reportedly went away with about 200 heads of cattle.

This happened as a section of Meru leaders expressed pessimism on the Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen's gazettement of cattle rustling and banditry hotspots and announced a major operation to mop up illegal firearms in the hands of the livestock thieves.

Former Meru Governor Peter Munya and former Igembe North MP Maore Maoka were among leaders to dismiss the gazette notice.

"Bandits don't read gazette notices. They respond to firm action. We are yet to see or feel the hand of government in this area," an irritated Munya said.

It was the second raid after Murkomen announced the deployment of 400 police officers in several hotspots.

Maoka also dismissed the gazette notice and an earlier National Police Service press release announcing commencement of a multi-agency security deployment in areas affected by cattle rustling in Meru, Isiolo and Laikipia.

"In 2018 and 2020, when a serious operation was conducted, no such press release was done. No serious security agency announces its next move when trying to nab a criminal and confiscate the stolen property," Maoka said.

He said no criminal would wait to get caught when alerted on an operation to arrest him.

"Even after CS Murkomen's visit at Mbataru RDU, Mwoking'ero village in Kilera-Ntunene was attacked by bandits and several cows were driven away," said Maoka.

Former Meru Assembly majority leader Victor Karithi said, "We welcome this move, though it's largely too little, nearly too late. I am, however, baffled that Samburu is missing. We need to see more action and consistency. Bandits struck again on March 26 and made away with a big number of cattle."

CS Murkomen had visited Meru on Monday, where he announced the deployment of 400 more officers, and on Thursday, he issued a gazette notice declaring several zones in Meru, Laikipia and Isiolo as 'security-disturbed' and dangerous, in preparation for a major operation against the criminals.

"We have declared parts of Laikipia, Meru and Isiolo counties security-disturbed and dangerous to facilitate a major security operation to weed out perpetrators of recent incidents of criminal activities in the areas," Murkomen said on Thursday.

He added, "This operation, which also involves a pop-up of illegal firearms, follows our earlier deployment of 400 additional police officers to reinforce the officers on the ground, among other measures."

He resolved the national government will not relent in its quest to completely eradicate the insecurity posed by cattle rustling and banditry in the counties.