Stop making excuses and pay Samburu herders

Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen before the National Assembly's Internal Security and National Administration Committee on October 7, 2026. [MINA]

When security forces turned their guns on pastoralists' livestock in Waso Ward, Samburu East, between September 19 and 21, 2026, they did not just destroy property; they executed an economic sentence on innocent families.

Whether the death toll stands at the official police record of 237 animals or the 764 reported by Samburu County Governor Lati Lelelit and local leaders, one fact remains uncontested: This was not a tragic misfire or an accidental crossfire. It was an unprovoked, deliberate act of destruction by people charged with protecting lives and property.

Faced with the daunting task of tracking down elusive bandits following the violent attacks that claimed lives earlier that month, multi-agency security personnel vented their frustration on defenceless herds. Livestock forms the absolute bedrock of survival, wealth, and culture in pastoralist communities. When security officers direct gunfire at a herd, that is not functionally different from wilfully destroying a family's sole source of livelihood.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s response on the killings before the National Assembly's Internal Security Committee last week was both disappointing and heartless. By ruling out reimbursement on the grounds that there are no "modalities", legal frameworks, or budgetary provisions—and warning that paying them would open a "Pandora's box"—the Ministry of Interior is attempting to hide behind administrative bureaucracy.

It is simply not enough for Mr Murkomen to hide behind missing legal frameworks. When the State recognised the urgent need to address victims of police brutality across the nation, it found legal pathways and administrative mechanisms to offer ex-gratia payments and reparations. Why should the destruction of pastoralist livelihoods be treated any differently by the same government?

If the government is truly committed to the welfare of all Kenyans and the rule of law, it cannot execute arbitrary destruction without accountability. Dismissing Sh70 million in petition claims as an inconvenient precedent undermines public trust in security agencies. The Ministry must establish a compassionate, clear compensation framework immediately. Justice demands that the affected Samburu herders be paid in full.