Members of Kenya’s National Assembly have raised alarm over escalating insecurity in Isiolo County, warning that persistent violence threatens livelihoods and social cohesion in the region.
The National Assembly Committee on Cohesion and Equal Opportunities has now put the government on notice, calling for urgent and lasting interventions to restore stability.
Led by Chairperson Adan Yussuf Haji, the committee expressed concern that despite the deployment of security resources, efforts to pacify Isiolo have remained slow and largely ineffective.
Lawmakers said findings from recent peace engagements with residents and local stakeholders revealed a grim security situation driven by commercialised cattle rustling and recurring conflicts over scarce resources.
“Cattle rustling in Isiolo has become commercialised, which is why it persists. The government should deal with the matter once and for all,” Haji said, urging a coordinated crackdown on the vice.
Security concerns deepen
Kamukunji MP Abdi Yussuf Hassan linked the deteriorating situation to systemic weaknesses within the country’s security framework.
He questioned whether the Ministry of Interior and National Administration is effectively utilising its substantial budgetary allocations.
“The Ministry receives significant funding and has no reason not to address insecurity in Isiolo permanently,” he said.
Hassan also urged authorities to resolve disputes over critical resources such as grazing land, water, schools and healthcare, which he said continue to fuel tensions among communities.
Samburu East MP Jackson Lekumontare raised alarm over alleged complicity within security agencies, claiming that rogue officers are supplying ammunition to armed bandits.
“Rogue police officers are arming bandits with bullets, fuelling violence in affected areas of Isiolo,” he alleged.
Other lawmakers, including Duncan Mathenge, Joshua Oron, Martin Owino and Joseph Iraya Wainaina, echoed concerns over the deteriorating situation.
They warned that continued instability risks eroding economic activity, displacing communities and worsening humanitarian conditions in the region.
The committee said it will table far-reaching recommendations in Parliament aimed at strengthening security operations, enhancing accountability and addressing the root causes of conflict.
Proposed measures are expected to focus on disarmament, improved intelligence coordination and sustainable solutions to resource-based disputes.
Lawmakers stressed that without urgent and coordinated intervention, insecurity in Isiolo could escalate further, undermining national cohesion and development efforts.
