Security personnel on patrol in Turkana.
For years, residents of the oil-rich villages of Lopii, Nakukulas, Lokwamosing, Lokori and Kahuruko in Turkana County's South Lokichar Basin lived under the constant threat of armed bandits.
However, locals now say a different fear has taken hold.
Following an intensified security operation launched last month by the Special Operations Group, residents claim their villages have effectively been turned into militarised zones, with armoured personnel carriers patrolling communities, movement tightly monitored and growing anxiety over whether the operation is aimed at protecting people or safeguarding future petroleum investments.
While the government says the operation is targeting insecurity and livestock theft, locals allege the crackdown is aimed at securing oil fields ahead of renewed extraction.
An oil rig at Ngamia 1 where Tullow Oil Company is exploring oil, 25km from Lokichar in Turkana County. Anxiety over concerns that local people may not be included in revenue sharing and employment has led to some unrest and keen interest in business opportunities.
Residents, local leaders and human rights activists say the ongoing operation has left communities trapped between the longstanding menace of banditry and an increasingly heavy security presence.
Meshack Etiir, a herder from Lopii Village, said residents have traditionally relied on local intelligence networks to detect suspicious individuals believed to be scouting for bandits moving through grazing fields and dry seasonal riverbeds.
"The intelligence would sometimes help us plan with the National Police Reservists and local administrators to prepare for a response, in case of an attack. When ambushed, there were reports of deaths, injuries and loss of livestock either in the grazing fields or in the villages at night," said Mr Etiir.
He said repeated appeals to the government to recover stolen livestock after raids often went unanswered, leaving families—many of whom had previously depended on petroleum-related activities for their livelihoods—poorer and increasingly vulnerable after losing their animals.
Lokichar Ward Representative Samwel Lomodo said community leaders had documented repeated livestock raids in Lopii, Lokwamosing and Nakukulas, but claimed government intervention had remained inadequate.
"There have been persistent raids in Lopii, Lokwamosing and Nakukulas that as leaders we have documented. After appealing to the government for prompt livestock recovery, nothing is being done, leaving vulnerable families behind.
"Bandits who have established hideouts in Kailongol, Lokwatuba, Lochakula, Lotongot and Loritit continue roaming freely despite the ongoing disarmament operation by the Special Operations Group," Mr Lomodo said.
He said the current security operation is now concentrated in vulnerable villages across the South Lokichar Basin, where many households are struggling to survive on the few livestock left after repeated raids and prolonged drought.
"Instead of the multi-agency security team pursuing bandits' to recover livestock immediately after raids, they are using Armoured Personnel Carriers to target harmless victims of banditry waiting for government assistance to recover stolen livestock or to enlist them as first beneficiaries of the planned resumption of petroleum activities," he said.
Movement restriction
Mr Mark Epurui, a resident of Nakukulas village, questioned why what had been described as an intelligence-led disarmament operation targeting civilians with illegal firearms was also affecting elderly residents.
"Our village is currently militarised because no one is allowed to move freely with livestock near the oil fields. Those seeking information about available jobs and expected benefits before petroleum activities resume are unable to freely access the established camps," Mr Epurui said.
He also expressed concern that authorities were responding to tactics previously used during Tullow Oil's operations—including road blockades and demonstrations at oil camps demanding jobs and business opportunities—through an expanded security operation supported by drones and Armoured Personnel Carriers.
Ms Eunice Ateyo of Friends of Lake Turkana, a grassroots organisation that advocates for land, water and human rights in the Greater Turkana Basin, said human rights activists had witnessed the impact of the ongoing operation while conducting community dialogues on oil extraction supported by GreenFaith Africa.
"There is an APC vehicle in the area that has created fear among locals, who at some point warned us against visiting some sections of the South Lokichar Basin.
"As it is, the operation is now focused on protecting oil because locals cannot freely move to seek information about contracts, jobs and social benefits such as water and hospitals. It is time the government assured them of a clear resettlement plan if they are no longer wanted on their ancestral land," Ms Ateyo said.
She further alleged there was evidence of forced displacement, claiming some houses had been burnt during the operation.
Lokori/Kochodin Ward Representative Willy Napuyo said that if compulsory land acquisition for petroleum development was imminent, affected communities should be formally informed through established legal and administrative structures.
"Locals are yet to understand the compensation plan awaiting them. Some have been told to leave their ancestral land but do not know where they are expected to relocate or how much compensation they are entitled to.
Turkana County Commissioner Julius Kavita defended the enhanced security operation, saying it had been prompted by a recent resurgence of retaliatory attacks.
"We are warning our people to desist from retaliatory attacks, which are not healthy for sustainable peace," Mr Kavita said.
He added that active operations would continue to recover livestock stolen during recent raids and to apprehend those responsible.
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