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State intensifies war on cattle rustlers, traffickers in 6 counties

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki. (Photo: Courtesy)

By Apollo Ochieng | Friday, February 2, 2024

The operation will target the counties of Marsabit, Isiolo, Meru North, Baringo, Samburu and Turkana.

The government plans to intensify security operations in the North Rift and parts of the Upper Eastern region in the coming weeks to curb criminal activities that have been on the rise.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, in a statement released on Thursday evening, said his ministry has embarked on a mission to beef up security in the area, under a plan dubbed "Operation Maliza Uhalifu".

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This, he said, is because incessant security threats posed by livestock rustlers, highway robbers, and traffickers of humans and narcotics require a comprehensive multi-agency eradication strategy.

The operation, which will also aim to curb trade in illegal firearms, will target the counties of Marsabit, Isiolo, Meru North, Baringo, Samburu and Turkana.

During a strategy meeting with senior security managers at Shaba, Isiolo County, the CS noted that the government, committed to weeding out the criminal elements, will use force when necessary.

Kindiki further said that for a long time, criminals have taken advantage of the rough terrain, poor infrastructure and social vulnerabilities in the North Rift and Upper Eastern region to stage attacks.

"Not even the unforgiving terrain or infrastructure limitations will stop the ongoing war against livestock rustling and highway robbery in the North Rift and parts of the Upper Eastern region," he said.

"Operation Maliza Uhalifu will be intensified this year until the affected areas are completely pacified and readied for accelerated socioeconomic development," he added.