Turkana South MP John Ariko has decried the rising wave of deadly attacks on villages in Turkana County, blaming heavily armed bandits from the Pokot community for a string of recent raids that have left residents terrorised, property destroyed, and lives lost.
Speaking at a press conference at the Parliament buildings in Nairobi, Ariko catalogued chilling incidents over the past two months. On August 3rd, 43 shoats belonging to the Kenha camp were stolen in Kainuk village. Barely a month later, on September 3rd, bandits descended on Masol village, driving away 350 shoats. Days later, on September 6th, simultaneous raids in Kainuk and Katilu saw another 50 shoats stolen. On September 7th, Pokot raiders attempted to overrun the Kainuk Lomosingo irrigation scheme but were repelled by National Police Reservists (NPRs). The bloodiest incident came on September 24th, when a NPR officer and a young man identified as Illikwel were killed during yet another Pokot-led assault.
“These attacks are systematic, targeted, and devastating,” Ariko said. “Instead of decisively going after the bandits, security operations have turned their guns on Turkana residents. Our people are being brutalised, harassed, and treated like criminals.” He cited the arrest of an NPR officer who had sought ammunition as evidence of misplaced priorities.
Ariko warned that the unchecked proliferation of firearms along the Turkana–Pokot border is fuelling the cycle of bloodshed, yet the government response has been “suspect and deafeningly silent.” He called for urgent action, including intensified border patrols, release of the detained NPR officer, and the immediate arrest of perpetrators. “Communities must be treated as allies, not enemies. Security forces should work with locals to root out the real criminals,” he stressed.
The legislator also took aim at Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, accusing him of staging public relations gimmicks through the Jukwaa la Usalama forums. “These sessions are all talk and no action. People are dying while leaders are busy holding endless barazas with zero impact on the ground,” Ariko said.
The MP demanded the deployment of well-equipped, accountable security units along the porous border, warning that failure to act would embolden bandits and deepen mistrust between locals and the state. “Turkana South is bleeding. The silence of government is not just negligence, it is complicity,” he charged.
