Fear is growing in parts of Isiolo as bandit attacks continue to claim lives and wipe out livestock, prompting Governor Abdi Guyo to call for a joint meeting of leaders from Isiolo, Samburu, Meru and Marsabit to seek a lasting solution to the insecurity.
Guyo said the neighbouring counties needed to work together to calm tensions and prevent further attacks, arguing that communities on both sides would continue living alongside each other.
He spoke on Tuesday when he appeared before the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC), where senators took up the security concerns affecting Isiolo and surrounding counties alongside audit matters involving his administration.
His appearance also brought an end to a dispute over his failure to attend earlier committee sessions, with senators cancelling an arrest warrant that had been issued against him.
The committee had previously instructed Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to bring Guyo before the panel after he failed to honour summonses.
Appearing before the committee, Guyo apologised and explained that circumstances beyond his control had prevented him from attending the earlier sittings.
“I apologise for non-appearance. It was beyond my control. Whenever I failed to appear, I sent correspondence to the committee. I hold this committee in high regard,” he said.
The governor further complied with the conditions imposed by the committee by paying a Sh500,000 fine and handing in written answers to the audit questions raised against his administration.
Samson Cherargei, the committee vice chairperson who presided over the sitting, subsequently announced that the arrest order had been withdrawn following Guyo’s appearance, apology and compliance with the conditions.
“The arrest warrant is hereby discharged,” Cherargei said.
Cherargei added that senators would study the governor’s written submissions and could require him to return before the committee if further explanations were needed on any of the outstanding matters.
The proceedings later turned to the security challenges facing Isiolo and neighbouring counties, with Guyo telling senators that bandit attacks had taken both lives and livestock.
He said the latest incidents had included the deaths of five people, among them police officers, and warned that the situation required urgent attention.
“We have suffered. Recently, five people were killed, including police officers, by the bandits. It is a serious concern,” he said.
Guyo said the response to the insecurity should involve leaders from the affected counties rather than relying only on security operations.
He urged the governors and other leaders from Isiolo, Samburu, Meru and Marsabit to come together, engage their communities and find ways of reducing the violence.
“Isiolo people are scared of what is happening on the ground. We pushed this issue to the Minister for Interior and National Coordination, who has now agreed to do an operation in the Samburu area,” he said.
His comments followed a security operation in Samburu that reportedly left livestock dead and sparked complaints from residents and leaders in the area.
Guyo took issue with the attention drawn to the animals killed during the operation, saying the deaths of people in bandit attacks should also remain at the centre of the security debate.
“I’ve heard my friend, and a good friend indeed, the governor of Samburu, saying the police killed cows. It is very unfortunate seeing a reputable media house talking about livestock that were killed instead of talking about lives of human beings that were lost,” he said.
The governor claimed that bandits from Samburu had taken nearly 15,000 cattle belonging to Isiolo residents, highlighting the scale of livestock losses that he said had accompanied the insecurity.
He also appealed to the Samburu governor to engage leaders from both counties and bring communities together to prevent further escalation.
“I would like my colleague, the governor of Samburu, to tone down and look for leaders from Samburu and Isiolo so they can sit down and ask our people, because we are neighbours and we will continue being neighbours, to see how they are going to de-escalate this security issue in Isiolo,” Guyo said.
Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua joined the call for firm action against banditry, saying his county had also experienced attacks that had left residents dead and injured.
“The senseless loss of life really must be brought to an end. We experience the same things in Kitui because of bandits hiding behind camels to kill our people, to maim our people,” Wambua said.
Wambua also raised questions over the treatment of livestock during security operations, arguing that police officers deployed to restore order should be protecting animals rather than targeting them.
The senators’ discussion placed the security situation alongside Guyo’s appearance over audit queries, as the governor pushed for dialogue among leaders in the affected counties as part of efforts to address the continuing violence.