The government is walking a tightrope in the North Rift, struggling to balance its voluntary firearms amnesty programme with rising public demands for justice against suspected criminals who handed in weapons but are still believed to be at large.
The government's gun amnesty programme has helped restore relative peace across the North Rift, with hundreds of illegal firearms surrendered and bandit attacks significantly reduced.
For the first time in years, large parts of the Kerio Valley are experiencing relative peace.
Hundreds of illegal firearms have been surrendered under the programme. Villages once abandoned because of bandit attacks are coming back to life. Traders are rebuilding businesses, farmers are returning to their fields, and communities that lived under the constant threat of armed violence are beginning to recover.
Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen (right), Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Abdi Hassan (left) and other security chiefs at a Kampi Samaki Hotel in Baringo for a security meeting on May 2, 2025.
Photo credit: Florah Koech Nation
But as the guns disappear and former bandits reintegrate into communities under the amnesty initiative, on the ground, a new tension is emerging in communities that bore the brunt of the violence, with victims demanding answers to unresolved murders and years of bloodshed.
Victims and families who lost loved ones are questioning whether suspected killers and notorious bandits who voluntarily handed over their weapons should be allowed to reintegrate into society without facing prosecution for past crimes.
It has left security agencies in a dilemma, caught between protecting the integrity of the disarmament initiative and responding to anger and growing demands for accountability from victims’ families who say known perpetrators of past killings and displacement in banditry-prone areas should not escape prosecution.
In parts of Elgeyo Marakwet County, West Pokot County, Baringo County and Turkana County, residents say some individuals who surrendered illegal firearms under the amnesty are moving freely despite long-standing accusations linking them to violent attacks during years of cyclical retaliatory violence.
The situation is fueling anger among affected families and security agencies now finding themselves navigating a delicate balancing act and dilemma on how to uphold promises of pardon while addressing demands for justice from victims of years of banditry.
“As much as we support peace efforts and disarmament by the government, justice must also be served to the victims. Some of the suspected criminals are known to us and must be made to face the law,” said Mr Joshua Chelanga, a resident of Embobut, Marakwet East Sub-county.
Others argue that surrendering firearms should not be mistaken for immunity from accountability for grave crimes committed during pastoralist conflicts.
“The law must act tough against criminals who commit such serious crimes as murder. They should be arrested and prosecuted as part of the reconciliation process,” said Jackson Kimaiyo from Tot, Marakwet East Sub-County.
The amnesty programme was launched to encourage the voluntary surrender of illegal firearms as part of a broader strategy to restore peace in the troubled Kerio Valley, where security operations have for years battled entrenched cycles of revenge attacks and cattle rustling.
Under the multi-agency crackdown, including Operation Maliza Uhalifu, authorities have combined persuasion, profiling of suspects and enforcement measures in an effort to end decades of insecurity fuelled by illegal weapons.
A parallel initiative, Operation Rudisha Bunduki, has emphasised community cooperation and voluntary surrender, resulting in the recovery of 314 illegal firearms in Elgeyo Marakwet County alone.
The approach has relied heavily on mobilisation by chiefs, elders and religious leaders to drive dialogue and reconciliation among communities, including the Pokot, Turkana, Marakwet, Tugen, Ilchamus and Samburu, all of whom have been affected by prolonged armed conflict in the valley.
Under the terms of the amnesty, individuals who voluntarily surrender illegal weapons are assured they will not face prosecution for firearms possession, a provision officials say has encouraged many to disarm without resistance.
However, the policy is now facing criticism amid claims that some individuals linked to serious past crimes have used the programme as cover to reintegrate into society.
Security officials insist there is a clear distinction between disarmament and criminal accountability.
“Those who surrendered firearms under the government amnesty programme and abandoned criminal activities have been reintegrated into society. However, individuals involved in serious crimes such as murder must face the full force of the law,” said Elgeyo Marakwet County Police Commander Peter Mulinge.
His remarks come amid heightened scrutiny following the arrest of a key suspect linked to the killing of Eldoret Catholic Priest Fr Alloise Cheruiyot Bett in Eldoret, an incident that shocked the region and triggered a prolonged manhunt.
Bishop Dominic Kimengich second (left), of Eldoret Catholic Diocese, Bishop Maurice Crawley second (right), the retired Bishop of Kitale Catholic Diocese, and other church leaders during a burial ceremony of Fr Allois Cheruiyot Bett at St Michael's Terige Boys High School in Emgwen Constituency, Nandi County on June 03, 2025.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
The suspect, identified as Mark Kiptoo alias Kabor, is also alleged to have been involved in another fatal shooting in April stemming from a land dispute tied to long-standing clan tensions in the Kerio Valley.
“The suspect had been on the run for more than a year. The operation leading to his arrest was due to intensified intelligence gathering and cooperation among security agencies,” said Mr Mulinge.
Investigators say the suspect is believed to have played a central role in a series of retaliatory attacks linked to entrenched conflict along the Kerio Valley belt. Police have ruled out cattle rustling or banditry as the motive behind the priest’s killing.
“Preliminary investigation indicates that the incident is not in any way related to cattle rustling or banditry,” said Police Spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has defended the government’s broader security strategy, saying sustained operations over the past two years have significantly reduced banditry incidents.
“Almost all parts of the Kerio Valley region are pacified, save for a few areas. The relative success is because of the collective efforts of our security officers, supportive members of the public, and community leaders,” he said during a past visit to the region.
Despite its violent history, the Kerio Valley, long branded the Kosovo of Kenya due to recurring retaliatory attacks, is now showing signs of economic revival as security improves.
Formerly abandoned villages across Turkana County, West Pokot County, Baringo County and Elgeyo Marakwet County are witnessing gradual resettlement, with residents returning to farming, trade and small-scale enterprise.
Local traders report improved business activity as the movement of goods and services normalises after years of disruption caused by insecurity, signaling cautious optimism that peace gains may finally be taking root even as debate over justice versus amnesty intensifies.
