Murkomen unveils strategy to end religious extremism in Siaya
By Mabonga Makhanu, September 17, 2025Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has called for vigilance among community members as a step towards curbing religious extremism, which is becoming increasingly prevalent in Siaya County.
While speaking during the Jukwaa la Usalama forum in Siaya on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, he expressed concern over how some people have chosen to practice their faith in ways that can only be described as extreme.
Murkomen urged local leaders and the national government administration to act with speed whenever unusual incidents occur in their areas. He emphasised the need to convene urgent barazas to address such matters before they escalate to unimaginable levels.
“It is important that we here in Siaya cooperate. Chiefs, what happened to being a brother’s keeper? When you hear that there is a problem in a certain part of a community, call a baraza talk and create awareness,” Murkomen stated.
He further questioned the declining sense of vigilance among community members, recalling a time when neighbours would always be concerned about the whereabouts of their kin whenever they disappeared, with everyone acting as their brother’s keeper. Murkomen tasked area chiefs with creating awareness of the dangers of religious extremism.
Community cooperation
The CS cited a disturbing case involving a Siaya native named Jared, who, according to him, was once rescued from Chakama Ranch in Shakahola. However, after being rescued, Jared allegedly went back and supervised his own children as they starved to death.
“The story of Jared, the guy who left here all the way after being rescued in Chakama ranch and brought all the way to Siaya, who left again all the way with his children to the same neighbourhood and supervised his kids one by one as they starved to death, is unfortunate.”
Murkomen stressed that fighting religious extremism cannot be left to the police alone. He insisted that the only effective solution lies in community cooperation, where every individual takes responsibility by reporting suspicious incidents to the relevant authorities.
“We can’t have police everywhere; the only way is to have community cooperation so that we deal with this issue,” he stated.