Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has hailed the progress of Operation Maliza Uhalifu (OMU), noting that the multi-agency security initiative has recorded significant success in silencing guns and restoring calm across the volatile Kerio Valley.
Speaking yesterday in Chemolingot, Tiaty Central Sub-County, during the second edition of the OMU North Rift Sports for Peace Tournament, Murkomen said the government is determined to build on recent gains by expanding peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts.
“The initiative is intended to foster peace and cohesion among communities in Elgeyo Marakwet, Samburu, Baringo, West Pokot, Laikipia, and Turkana counties through sports. Even as we celebrate the gains we have made so far, we are ramping up our efforts to pacify the few remaining troubled areas,” said the CS.
He urged local leaders and residents to continue backing government initiatives, stressing that sustainable peace and security would pave the way for long-term development in the North Rift.
The peace tournament drew participation from leaders across the region, among them Governors Benjamin Cheboi (Baringo) and Wisley Rotich (Elgeyo Marakwet), Deputy Governors Felix Kipng’ok (Baringo), Prof. Grace Cheserek (Elgeyo Marakwet) and Robert Komolle (West Pokot), and Tiaty MP William Kamket.
Murkomen was accompanied by top security officials including Deputy Inspector General of the Administration Police Service Gilbert Masengeli, Anti-Stock Theft Unit Commander Joseph Limo, Baringo County Commissioner Stephen Sangolo, and County Police Commander Julius Kiragu.
The Interior CS said the peace tournament was more than a symbolic gesture, describing it as an essential tool for community cohesion in an area long scarred by cattle rustling and banditry.
