Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced that all chiefs in Mandera County will be issued with firearms and trained in handling them, as part of new measures aimed at bolstering security in the volatile border region.
Murkomen, who toured Mandera on Monday, said the government had restored calm at the Kenya–Somalia Border One Crossing, following concerns earlier this month over the entry of Jubaland forces into Kenyan territory.
He reassured residents that any external conflicts would be contained before reaching Kenyan soil.
“It is our duty to defend and protect our citizens and borders even when they have their own fighting,” Murkomen said, adding that learners, teachers and farmers should not fear attacks linked to cross-border unrest.
He called on locals to cooperate with security teams in the fight against al-Shabaab, stressing that the state remains committed to keeping communities safe.
“We want to ensure all learners, teachers, and residents that their security is guaranteed, and we won’t allow external conflict to infiltrate their homes, schools, and farms,” he said.
The announcement comes in the wake of rising unease along the frontier, after reports that armed Jubaland fighters had crossed into Mandera, raising alarm among leaders.
County Governor Adan Khalif has previously warned that the presence of the fighters was hampering essential services in the region.
Murkomen has, however, accused some opposition leaders of politicising the matter, insisting that Kenya is not under threat from Somalia’s official forces.
He has instead pointed to al-Shabaab militants as the real danger.
“I want to speak clearly: Kenya is not under any threat from Somalia or any regional force from Somalia; the only threat we face is the threat of the al-Shabaab militia,” he said during a security forum in Kakamega on September 5, 2025.
