Following a directive from President William Ruto, Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome is in Turkana County to personally oversee a multi-agency operation that brings together officers from the special forces of the National Police Service and the Kenya Defence Forces.
IG Koome promised to put an end to banditry during his visit to the Kainuk district, where just two days prior, shooters ambushed a police convoy, murdering three officers.
He remarked, "We cannot allow the thieves and criminals to acquire confidence and begin attacking our officers... Likewise, it is our responsibility to ensure that the general public can go about their business without interference.
Koome urged local authorities to promote peaceful coexistence because antagonism between communities is one of the leading causes of conflict.
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People in this area have no choice but to coexist; we will not allow this practice of one group assaulting another; we have the ability and the will to do so, he said.
After the three-day amnesty period for communities to turn up their weapons expired, the operation will begin on Thursday.
After Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale recently published a gazette notice on the KDF's participation in the police-led operation, it will be led by NPS and supported by KDF.
Various uniformed military formations have already sent out contingents, and they are planning how to start the operation as the President has authorized.
Along the Kitale-Lodwar route, which was desolate for days following an ambush on a police convoy that killed three officers, normalcy is gradually returning.
Parts of the Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, Laikipia, Turkana, and Samburu counties are included in the operating zone, categorized as a risky and disturbed area.
