Deadly attacks continue to haunt the North Rift region despite the presence of one of the largest police deployments in the country. Villages remain under constant threat, families live in fear, and lives are being lost almost every week.
The violence has trapped communities in a cycle that seems never-ending, with promises of peace often fading away as fresh attacks emerge.
The suffering of ordinary residents raises difficult questions about why government efforts and resources have failed to end the crisis.Recent developments in Nairobi have revealed disturbing details that explain part of this puzzle.
Shockingly, some of the very people tasked with protecting citizens are suspected of fueling the violence.
A number of police and prison officers have been arrested for allegedly aiding banditry, exposing how deep corruption and betrayal run within the security system. These revelations have left many Kenyans shaken, wondering how safe they truly are if those trusted with their protection are instead working with criminals.
Among the arrested officers is Samson Mutonga, a police constable based in Industrial Area, Nairobi, where he worked as a storeman.
Another suspect is Isaac Kipngetich, a police corporal attached to Turkana County Police Headquarters. Investigators also took into custody Ileli Cyrus Kisamwa, a constable serving as an armorer at the Central Firearms Stores in Industrial Area.
The arrests did not stop there. Authorities also detained Charles Ekidor, an Assistant Superintendent of Prisons based in Turkana. Together, these men are accused of directly feeding weapons into the hands of bandits who continue to terrorize the North Rift.
The officers were reportedly found with over 1,000 rounds of ammunition, pistols, magazines, and other restricted security items. Investigators believe these supplies were not meant for official duties but were instead being funneled to armed groups operating in the troubled region.
A security source has confirmed that the suspects are linked to a wider criminal network secretly arming bandits, making the crisis more difficult to contain.
These revelations raise pressing concerns about accountability within Kenya’s security agencies. For years, the government has launched costly operations, deploying thousands of officers and spending billions of shillings to restore peace in the North Rift. Yet, banditry continues to thrive.
The arrests now suggest that internal betrayal may be one of the biggest obstacles. If police and prison officers can aid criminals, then trust in the system weakens, and the suffering of innocent families deepens.
The exposure of this network is a wake-up call that solving the North Rift problem requires more than just military deployments. It demands rooting out corruption, enforcing accountability, and ensuring that those given guns and authority to protect the people are not the ones selling them out.
Until then, residents of the North Rift may continue to live in fear, hoping for a peace that remains painfully out of reach.
