New border police stations to get extra officers- CS Murkomen
He noted that the deployment of officers will strengthen security in the area and bring into use the police stations, which have remained idle for several months, to serve the local communities effectively.
The government is set to deploy police officers within the next three weeks to eight police stations established by the Kitui County administration along its volatile border with Tana River County, an area plagued by frequent bandit attacks.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen made this announcement on Thursday while addressing the media at a hotel in Kitui.
The briefing took place during his Jukwaa la Usalama security forum tour in the Lower Eastern region.
He noted that the deployment of officers will strengthen security in the area and bring into use the police stations, which have remained idle for several months, to serve the local communities effectively.
The Cabinet Secretary commended Governor Julius Malombe for initiating the construction of the police facilities, emphasizing that the move will significantly improve safety along the tense border where violent clashes between Kitui farmers and Tana River herders have claimed numerous lives.
"As a ministry, we appreciate the county government’s effort in setting up these eight police stations. I commit to making them operational within three weeks by ensuring they are adequately staffed with officers," Murkomen stated.
The Cabinet Secretary also highlighted that the Ministry of Interior will collaborate with the county government to recruit rangers, who will be assigned the responsibility of patrolling the vast South Kitui and Mwingi North national game reserves.
These reserves have long served as hiding spots for bandits, who use them as bases for launching attacks.
"We are aware that armed bandits exploit the game reserves to carry out criminal activities. In collaboration with the county government, we will recruit and train rangers who will be deployed to these areas to strengthen security," he explained.
In response to the persistent attacks along the vulnerable border, Governor Malombe’s administration has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Police Service, aimed at achieving lasting peace along the unstable border stretching from Kitui South to Mwingi North.