Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya on Friday, July 24, 2026, called on political leaders to refrain from divisive rhetoric, saying the peace restored in the North Rift must now be safeguarded and translated into meaningful development for local communities.

Speaking during the launch of Kolowa Sub-County in Kerio Valley, an event officiated by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Tuya said the creation of the new administrative unit signified more than an expansion of government structures.

She described it as a step towards bringing government services closer to residents and consolidating the gains made through sustained security operations in a region that has long grappled with banditry and inter-community conflict.

“The ultimate success will not only be measured by reduced attacks but by children returning to school, safer movement of citizens, reliable water supply, renewed trust between the State and its citizens, and improved livelihoods,” she said.

Tuya commended the multi-agency security team comprising the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), National Police Service (NPS), National Intelligence Service (NIS), Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the National Government Administration for restoring stability in the Kerio Valley.

She said the focus should now shift to ensuring residents benefit from uninterrupted education, access to clean water, improved roads, healthcare, affordable housing and expanded economic opportunities.

Call for unity

The Defence CS later turned to the political environment, urging leaders to promote peace and national cohesion.

Without naming any individual, she referred to recent political remarks that she said portrayed pastoralist communities negatively.

“Kuna mtu mwingine juzi alijitaja na anasema yeye ni kiongozi wa kijiji,” she said, before adding that leaders who demean fellow Kenyans or advance ethnic politics had no place in a united country.

“Tunataka kuambia hawa viongozi ambao wanadharau Wakenya wengine na kuendeleza maneno ya ukabila, they have no space in a new democratic Kenya,” she said.

Tuya maintained that residents of the North Rift wanted the same opportunities available to other Kenyans, including access to quality education, clean water, affordable housing, universal health coverage and thriving markets.

“Sisi hatujazoea umaskini, hata kama tumekuwa na umaskini. Lakini tumesema enough is enough,” she said.

She also highlighted what she described as greater representation of pastoralist communities in national leadership, saying it reflected the government’s commitment to inclusion and equitable development.

“We will not join the chorus of negative ethnicity. Tunatembea na Wakenya wote pamoja,” she added.

Political backdrop

Although Tuya did not mention any leader by name, her remarks came amid heightened political exchanges following former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s recent engagement with Narok leaders over the Kedong and Kibiko land disputes.

During that meeting, Gachagua urged residents not to accept relocation from disputed land, saying: “Not a single Maasai should be sent to that hillside acreage. Stay exactly where you are. Let no one remove the Maasai.”

He also criticised the government’s handling of the long-running land dispute and called for a lasting solution.

However, publicly available reports of the Narok meeting do not contain the remarks Tuya attributed to the unnamed political leader regarding pastoralists being accustomed to poverty or not requiring dignified housing. Those specific claims could not be independently verified.

Securing the gains

Tuya said the government remained committed to ensuring the gains achieved through the ongoing multi-agency security operation are sustained through development.

She said KDF engineers would continue supporting the region through the rehabilitation of schools, drilling of boreholes, construction of access roads and other humanitarian initiatives aimed at improving livelihoods.

She also appealed to political leaders and residents to support ongoing peace efforts, saying security, community cooperation and development must go hand in hand.

“The progress recorded today is a clear demonstration that security operations, community cooperation and development interventions are mutually reinforcing and must move hand in hand,” she said.

Tuya said the launch of Kolowa Sub-County was not merely an administrative exercise but a demonstration of the government’s commitment to extending services to previously underserved communities and changing the narrative of Kerio Valley from one associated with insecurity to one defined by peace, stability and development.