Todonyang attack: Search and rescue mission for missing Kenyan fishermen still on - Murkomen
The Cabinet Secretary added that efforts to secure and bring home the chiefs abducted in Mandera three weeks ago are ongoing.
Joint search and rescue efforts between government officials and their counterparts in Ethiopia are ongoing to recover missing Kenyans who were reportedly caught up in a revenge attack that occurred last Saturday.
The incident according to the CS happened when an individual crossed over the Kenyan border to Ethiopia on Saturday and killed three locals triggering a retaliatory attack that happened on the Ethiopia side of the border leaving over 20 fishermen missing.
Heavily armed Dassanech militia ambushed and indiscriminately sprayed bullets at Turkana fishermen fishing in Lake Turkana near River Omo in what police later referred to as an alleged clash between Turkana and Dasanach fishermen at "Lopemukat Common Waters" along the border.
"What happened was a sad and regrettable occurrence that happened outside our territory so we had very little control. Because of that, we have not been able to establish the exact number of those that were attacked but it is suspected that from those reported missing, we have over 20. On Monday I held a meeting at Todonyang that ensured we were in communication with the Ethiopia side and on Tuesday, we engaged in diplomatic efforts with Ethiopia that kicked off the search and rescue efforts that eventually led to the recovery of two bodies yesterday which have been subjected to post mortem exams and buried," he explained.
He added that the search operation continues today and updates will be issued accordingly.
"These are people who have been working together conducting fishing on Lake Turkana, livestock trade and general trade on both sides without wrangles," he further noted.
Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen with security officials in Todonyang, Turkana County on February 24, 2025, following an attack on a a group of Kenyan fishermen by suspected Dassanech militia from Ethiopia. (Photo: Kipchumba Murkomen)
Abducted chiefs
At the same time, the Cabinet Secretary added that efforts to secure and bring home the chiefs abducted in Mandera three weeks ago are ongoing.
Chief Adawa Abdi Mohamed, Mohammed Hassan Kulumia, Abdi Hassan Surrow, Ibrahim Gabow and Mohmed Noor Hache were abducted by suspected Al Shabaab militants and driven off towards Somalia on February 3.
"Negotiations are ongoing, the good news is that the contact is there, there are interlocutors that are working on it and we believe that eventually the situation will be sorted. I don't wish to say more than that because of the security situation. It is important to keep it as it is because what is primarily important for the Republic of Kenya is the safety of our chiefs across that border," CS Murkomen on abducted chiefs," he said.
On the death of Police Constable Samuel Kaetuai in Haiti, Murkomen said the government would support the family and urged Kenyans not to sensationalise the matter.
"We are in the process of making sure that we support the family during this difficult time and I want to assure Kenyans that despite that setback, our officers are doing a fantastic job. Our team in Haiti is currently 744, and although the Kenyan contingent is the largest they are not working alone. They are doing a very good job to restore law and order," he said.
Murkomen refuted claims that the police delayed their response to the incident of dumping garbage outside KPLC offices in Nairobi.
"From day one, the National Police Service responded. Perhaps we did not do publicity as should be but at the very highest level, there was a report that was made by KPLC that led to the arrest of some of the officers from Nairobi city council for questioning and also some of the lorries have been detained," he said.
He described the incident as primitive and unacceptable.
"There is consensus in the country that that was the most primitive thing that one can ever do and we actually condemn that behavior in the strongest terms possible. The county government of Nairobi has the responsibility of keeping everyone safe, they also have a very important responsibility of public health, of making sure that we are living in a country that is safe from diseases that are totally uncouth."
Murkomen was speaking during his maiden visit to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters along Kiambu road where he pledged to support upskilling of specialized officers to retain their talents in the country and equip the forensics lab for it to operate optimally.
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