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Tension rises in Turkana as bandits set up camp near Kainuk school
Police and residents of Kainuk town at a road block along the Kapenguria-Lokichar highway on September 25, 2025.
Kainuk town, located on the tense border between the counties of Turkana and West Pokot, has once again become a place of fear and uncertainty. This is after armed bandits set up a kraal — an enclosed settlement comprising traditional huts and livestock pens — dangerously close to the newly opened Lobokat Girls Secondary School.
The modern school, which was completed in May with funding from the World Bank and the Kenyan government via the Kenya National Highways Authority (KenHA), now sits in the shadow of escalating insecurity.
For over five weeks, bandits have terrorised residents in the River Malimalite area, shattering the calm that had been restored through Operation Maliza Uhalifu, and disrupting livelihoods based on sand harvesting, gold mining, farming and boda-boda transport.
Last Wednesday saw the most brazen attack yet, when Elpan Pachu, the sole National Police Reservist stationed in Kailoseget village, and Isaac Ilikwel, a sand loader, were shot dead just metres from the Kainuk Police Station. The bandits escaped with the reservist’s firearm.
“It is heart-breaking that this happened so close to the police station,” said resident Margaret Ajikon, who is alarmed that insecurity is now creeping into schools and homes.
Frightened residents of Kailoseget village on the outskirts of Kainuk town.
Despite the heavy security presence in Kainuk, no arrests have been made. Locals accuse senior officers of complicity and negligence.
“This situation threatens not just security but also the learning environment and daily life around the school,” Ms Ajikon said.
Turkana Governor Jeremiah Lomorukai has called for an investigation into the alleged complicity of some senior security officers, accusing them of endangering years of peaceful coexistence between the Turkana and Pokot communities.
“We suspect that some senior security officials are focused on dubious dealings at the border rather than securing the area,” the governor said.
“We no longer see targeted operations or prompt responses. We demand a complete overhaul of the security apparatus.”
The governor recalled that, when Deputy President Kithure Kindiki was the Interior Cabinet Secretary, he declared the South Turkana National Reserve a gazetted area, forbidding human habitation in an attempt to curb insecurity.
“Yet bandits continue to roam freely in the reserve and have now established a kraal near a girls’ school. We need security personnel who are willing to do their jobs without bribery or coercion. If current officers can’t protect our people, they should step aside,” he said.
Despite the militarisation of Kainuk, with frequent movements of security personnel, killings persist.
Residents have expressed their frustration regarding the ongoing attacks, despite warnings issued by the Turkana and West Pokot county security committees on August 28, 2025. These warnings threatened forced disarmament if illegal firearms were not voluntarily surrendered.
“We are aware that a cross-border security meeting linked the surge in bandit attacks to the proliferation of small arms. Yet, instead of decisively targeting these bandits, some security officers appear to be compromising the operations,” said Ms Ajikon.
She raised concerns about the involvement of some security personnel in gold mining and their slow responses to attacks.
“There is a growing tendency for security officers to take too long in responding, which was not the case before. On the day of the shooting, swift action could have led to arrests,” she said.
A signpost of Kainuk town.
Another resident, Ms Mary Ngilimo, revealed that bandits are often seen roaming the border, disguised as herders grazing livestock near schools, hospitals and along the Kapenguria-Lokichar highway.
“The bandits’ hideouts are known, and their armed presence near schools and highways is visible. If the authorities cannot deal with these bandits, then what guns are they expecting civilians to surrender?” she asked.
Governor Lomorukai shared residents’ concerns, stating that despite the deployment of several police units and the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) troops at the Kainuk Forward Operating Base, bandit attacks have increased.
“At least five people have been killed at the border, including a police reservist,” he said.
“Kainuk, which hosts the Aroo Sub-County headquarters and a Sub-County Security Committee team, has officers from the National Police Service, Anti-Stock Theft Unit, General Service Unit, Kenya Wildlife Service, and the Rapid Deployment Unit. If these officers were fully committed, they could pacify the area.”
Governor Lomorukai expressed frustration that, while his administration has fostered peaceful coexistence along the international borders with Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia, the internal Turkana-Pokot border remains volatile despite the heavy security presence.
“It is time for the Ministry of Interior to redeploy some security units to other troubled areas instead of overcrowding Kainuk with forces that fail to respond promptly. We need to downsize the massive security presence and transfer senior officials, including the Deputy County Commissioner,” he said.
