The government now says there has been a significant decrease in cases of banditry and stock theft within the country since the start of the year.
Interior and National Coordination Cabinet Secretary Kapchumba Murkomen said between January and March 2025, there has been 167 cases of stock theft compared to 263 reported in the same period last year.
“During the period under review, a total of 4,935 livestock were stolen compared to 8, 557 in the same period in 2024,” Murkomen said.
There has also been a drop in the number of deaths related to cattle rustling and banditry.
Deaths related to banditry in Kenya
According to Murkomen, for the first three months of the year, 21 persons have been killed, majority (12) of who are bandit suspects.
One police officer had been killed by bandits and 8 civilians also lost their lives in the Criminal hands.
By March last year, 58 persons had been killed.
CS Murkomen attributes the drop in bandit attacks and stock theft to the concerted efforts of the security officers including the National Police Reservists (NPR) working in close collaboration.
Challenges in fight against banditry
However, the CS admits the security teams are still confronted by several challenges in the fight against banditry.
They include proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons, commercialization of banditry through readily available markets for stolen livestock and political interference and incitement.
Others are competition for water and pasture during periods of drought, fights over communal land boundaries and inaccessible safe havens for criminals due to poor infrastructure and mobile network coverage amongst other challenges.
“The Government is working hard to set aside resources for infrastructure development including schools; and to provide our security officers with better equipment and resources to tackle these challenges,” the CS said.
He further urged Kenyans to collaborate with security officers as they strive to secure the country.
“Let us shun all acts of political incitement and revenge. I urge political leaders to stop playing politics with such important national security concerns,” Murkomen added.
