Legal hurdles, missing bodies complicate Todonyang attack death toll confirmation - CS Murkomen

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has explained why the government is yet to confirm the exact number of people killed during the February 22 Todonyang attack in Turkana County, pointing to ongoing verification hurdles and procedural requirements.

Speaking on Wednesday during a security tour in Lodwar, Murkomen said several victims are suspected to have drowned in Lake Turkana during the cross-border attack by armed militia from Ethiopia, complicating efforts to recover bodies and confirm deaths.

“There is still pending verification of the exact numbers, partly because people suspected to have lost their lives disappeared into the lake. Without recovering the bodies, it is very difficult to state with certainty how many people died,” Murkomen said.

He added that Missing Persons Reports suggest higher casualty figures, but legally, the government cannot declare individuals dead without evidence.

“You can only say they are missing. You cannot legally declare them dead unless there is confirmation,” the CS said.

“Some reports even suggest a few people could be alive across the border in Ethiopia, although that remains unverified.”

Murkomen noted that the disparity in figures is partly due to the diverse origins of the victims, as many were not from Todonyang itself.

“Some came from as far as Kitale, Lodwar, and Kipish. That is part of the reason there is disparity in the figures,” he said.

Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen on why the death toll from the Todonyang attack has remained unverified since February: We’re still verifying the exact number of those affected. Some are missing and are suspected to have drowned, but without recovered bodies, we can’t confirm… pic.twitter.com/kZwPkUvMSb

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The Interior CS assured residents of his commitment to full accountability, urging community members to assist in identifying the missing persons.

“Tunataka kusaidiana na wananchi kule Todonyang watupatie idadi ya wale tunajua ukweli walikuwa wanafanya fishing hapo na walipatana kwa hiyo janga ya mapigano,” he said.

On security concerns, Murkomen admitted that some requests from local leaders could not be addressed immediately due to budgetary constraints. However, he proposed deploying a multi-agency security team to Todonyang, describing it as a critical entry point with several ongoing economic activities.

“Todonyang is a key entry point with active cross-border commerce, fishing, and livestock farming. But it also suffers from boundary encroachment due to poor security presence. This is an issue we must address conclusively,” Murkomen said.

He further said the government is considering revising the curfew in the area, which was imposed after the attack, to accommodate community needs.

“We are amenable to reviewing the time, maybe to have a longer day until late evening, and then very early morning. If we say 10:00 am to 4:00 pm works, then we give it two, three months. If the conditions become good, we can lift the curfew completely,” he noted.

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• missing bodies complicate Todonyang attack death toll confirmation - CS Murkomen

Murkomen also announced that the Inspector General of Police is working on reforms to improve the management of the National Police Reservists (NPRs) for better accountability and discipline.

“They must know they are officers of the national government. They came to office order, so we must ensure they are accountable through the OCS and that their welfare is addressed,” he said.

On the education front, the CS revealed that several schools closed due to insecurity in Turkana South, Turkana East, and West Pokot counties have yet to reopen. He said the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) will soon receive funding to reconstruct at least four or five schools in the region.

“In this financial year, some resources have been allocated, and we believe that soon, KDF will be given the amount so that they can work on those schools and restore them. We want to close this matter,” he said.

Murkomen is currently leading the 15th edition of the Jukwaa la Usalama County tours, during which he was expected to meet local leaders, security officials, and elected representatives at the Ekales Cultural Centre after a security briefing.