Kenya: Gachagua Condemns Samburu Livestock Killings, Vows to Meet Maa Elders

What the report says

DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua has criticized the reported killing of hundreds of livestock during a security operation in Samburu County, Kenya, according to Capital FM as distributed by AllAfrica. He said he had received appeals from residents in Samburu, Narok and Kajiado and vowed to raise the matter with Maa community elders when he returns to Kenya.

The report says Gachagua made the remarks while on a U.S. trip in Texas, where he is also meeting Kenyans in the diaspora. He argued that security operations meant to address banditry should not harm pastoralist families’ animals, and he accused the government of targeting livestock in the area. The article notes that residents and local leaders have said the operation in Samburu East left hundreds of animals dead, though the reported death toll varies across accounts.

Kenya’s Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has defended the operation as part of efforts to recover stolen livestock, curb banditry and seize illegal firearms, while also urging officers to minimize collateral damage. Gachagua said he plans to meet elders from Samburu and other Maa areas to discuss how communities and livestock can be better protected. The dispute highlights continuing tensions in parts of northern Kenya over security operations, pastoral livelihoods and the treatment of local communities.