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

What the report says

DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua has condemned reports that hundreds of livestock were killed during a security operation in Samburu County, Kenya, and said he plans to meet Maa community elders when he returns home. The remarks were reported by Capital FM and distributed by AllAfrica, with Gachagua speaking while on an extended visit to the United States, including a stop in Texas.

According to the report, Gachagua said residents from Samburu, Narok and Kajiado had contacted him to complain about what they view as mistreatment of the Maa community. He argued that animals belonging to pastoralist families should not have been caught up in an operation aimed at addressing banditry. The article says he accused the government of using security forces in a way that targeted livestock, though the government’s position was not detailed beyond references to the operation.

The controversy centers on a security sweep in Samburu East. Local residents and some leaders have said the number of animals killed was in the hundreds, with different accounts placing it at more than 500 or more than 700. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen was reported to have defended the operation as part of efforts to recover stolen livestock, curb banditry and retrieve illegal firearms, while also instructing officers to avoid unnecessary damage.

Gachagua said he would return to Kenya next month and hold discussions with elders from Samburu and other Maa areas about protecting people, property and livestock. The issue matters because it touches on security operations in pastoral regions, accountability for state action and long-running tensions between anti-banditry efforts and local community concerns.