Isiolo Governor Abdi Ibrahim Guyo has called for the immediate establishment of a permanent military base along the Isiolo–Samburu border. This follows January 15 bandit attack that killed two people, including a minor, and injured three others during a livestock ambush between Sapashe and Lerata.
Speaking after the attack, the governor said the security situation had deteriorated beyond what temporary deployments could handle.
“We are not asking for police reservists anymore. They are being outgunned. What we need is a permanent KDF presence at the border,” Guyo said, describing the situation as “a state of war.”
PERSISTENCE VIOLENCE
The call comes amid persistent banditry in Samburu County, which has continued despite multiple security operations. Official reports show that at least 20 people were killed by March 2025, with 18 deaths recorded in Samburu North and Central sub-counties alone by April.
Earlier, between 72 and 74 people were killed in the first four months of 2024, highlighting the intensity of the violence. A parliamentary petition filed in May 2024 further documented 59 deaths, 22 injuries, and the theft of over 2,800 cattle and 3,600 goats in the Lorroki and Malaso divisions.
Recent attacks have increasingly targeted police patrols, public transport and service vehicles, raising concerns about the growing boldness and organisation of armed groups operating in hotspots such as Baragoi, Marti, Kawap, Morijo and the Malaso Escarpment.
WHY MILITARY BASE
Governor Guyo argues that rotational deployments have failed to deter armed militias, even after the government stationed over 3,000 security officers across the North Rift, including 175 additional National Police Reservists deployed to Samburu in April 2025.
“The government cannot continue issuing statements from Nairobi while our people are being buried,” he said.
County officials say a permanent military base, combined with improved infrastructure such as the Longewuan–Ntim Nariko road, currently under construction, would enhance response times, restrict bandit movement and provide sustained security in remote terrain.
The pitch places Guyo’s demand within a wider debate on whether Kenya should shift from reactive security operations to fixed military installations to break recurring cycles of banditry, livestock theft and retaliatory violence in the North Rift.
