Principal Secretary for Internal Security and National Administration Raymond Omollo has called for a broader approach to peacebuilding in Northern Kenya, saying security operations alone cannot deliver lasting peace without investments in education, infrastructure, livelihoods, reconciliation, and justice.
Writing on insecurity in the North Rift and northern frontier counties, Omollo said communities in the region continue to face challenges linked to banditry, cattle rustling and competition over resources despite gains made through ongoing security operations.
“The persistence of banditry demonstrates the limitations of interventions that address violence without tackling the conditions that sustain it,” he said.
The Principal Secretary said the government had recorded significant progress through security initiatives including Operation Maliza Uhalifu and Operation Rudisha Bunduki, launched to curb banditry and disarm criminal groups operating in affected areas.
According to PS Omollo, the two operations have resulted in the recovery of more than 2,600 illegal firearms and over 17,000 head of livestock.
“For pastoralist families, livestock represents years of investment, food, income and the means to educate their children. Recovering stolen animals helps restore livelihoods, while removing illegal firearms reduces the weapons available to criminal groups,” he said.
He added that sustaining those gains would require pursuing livestock theft networks beyond attacks themselves and prosecuting financiers and organisers involved in the trade.
Linking Security to Development
Omollo said security interventions should serve as a foundation for restoring essential services and creating economic opportunities for affected communities.
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He noted that more than Ksh42 billion had been invested in security roads and infrastructure projects, resulting in the construction of over 520 kilometres of roads.
“These investments matter because farmers need access to markets, traders must reach customers and families need to get sick children to health facilities safely,” he said.
The Principal Secretary highlighted progress in the education sector, citing the rehabilitation of schools previously affected by insecurity.
At Ngamachi Comprehensive School in Laikipia, he said Kenya Defence Forces engineers and their partners had rehabilitated classrooms, allowing children whose education had been disrupted by insecurity to resume learning.
“But lasting progress also depends on teachers being available, children attending school consistently and parents feeling confident about their safety,” he said.
Omollo said similar efforts were required in the health sector and other public services, arguing that security gains must translate into functioning services and economic opportunities through coordinated action by security agencies, national government ministries and county governments.
He also called for better management of roads, shared water points and local disputes that have the potential to escalate into violence.
PS Raymond Omollo on Rebuilding Trust Among Communities
Beyond security and development, Omollo said rebuilding trust between communities remains critical to delivering sustainable peace.
He said security operations must be professional, lawful and intelligence-led, with civilians protected and treated with dignity.
“Allegations of abuse must be investigated through appropriate accountability mechanisms,” he said.
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PS Raymond Omollo added that communities were more likely to cooperate with authorities when their rights were respected and concerns addressed.
For families that have lost relatives, homes and livelihoods, he said the return of calm was only the beginning.
He also urged greater focus on creating opportunities for young people through education, employment and participation in shaping their communities.
PS Raymond Omollo said progress should be measured by whether children attend school uninterrupted, pastoralists move their herds safely, farmers cultivate their land, traders access markets and families receive essential services without fear.
“The true measure of success will be found not merely in the number of firearms recovered or roads constructed, but in the lives people are finally able to lead and in a generation that inherits the promise of these regions rather than the insecurity that has held them back,” he said.
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