Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has extended an olive branch to suspected bandits and individuals in possession of illegal firearms, urging them to surrender their weapons before the government launches a renewed and ruthless security crackdown.
Speaking at the Elgeyo Marakwet County Commissioner’s office in Iten ahead of the Jukwaa La Usalama security forum, CS Murkomen appealed to armed individuals to lay down their weapons voluntarily, offering them a second chance through education and empowerment initiatives.“If you own a firearm, we are giving you an opportunity, in the shortest time possible, to present it to police officers,” Murkomen stated, emphasizing the urgency of the grace period.
He disclosed that many of those engaged in banditry are of school-going age and revealed plans to enroll them in technical and vocational institutions. “I am ready, working with relevant agencies, to take to technical schools those who surrender their firearms so they can acquire skills to empower themselves,” he said.
Murkomen further announced that those who comply would benefit from government-sponsored scholarships, giving them a lifeline away from crime.“Instead of engaging in crime, we will give them scholarships to get skills that they can afford to take care of their lives,” he added.
However, the CS maintained a hardline stance on those who resist the call for peace. He warned that a fresh, intensified security operation would be launched to flush out remaining criminal elements and their sponsors.“Those who insist that they must continue to be in banditry will have no one to blame. Our security agencies are going to deal with them firmly,” he warned, adding, “Take this olive branch and choose peace by surrendering guns and taking pens instead.”
Murkomen also revealed that the government possesses intelligence on prominent individuals allegedly behind the supply of illegal firearms to bandits.
He mentioned politicians, teachers, and contractors among those suspected of fueling insecurity in the region.“We are aware of elements who are buying and supplying firearms; some of them are teachers, contractors, and politicians.
The law will catch up with them,” he warned. “I want to give them an olive branch, surrender to the police before it’s too late.”
The CS’s remarks come amid renewed efforts by the government to restore lasting peace in the North Rift region, which has for years been plagued by insecurity, cattle rustling, and armed conflict.