Inside Meru's deadly cattle rustling surge, families left broke, injured and displaced

For decades, residents of parts of Meru have been under persistent raids mounted by cattle rustlers and bandits from neighbouring counties.

However, the raids, which sometimes turn tragic, have escalated in the last three years, occasioning untold suffering to affected locals who, apart from emotional and physical scars, are left without their cattle, sheep, goats and even donkeys, animals that are their source of income.

In recent years, the raids have been so persistent that government efforts to stop them have yielded nothing. The presence of Anti-Stock Theft units, National Police Reservists (NPR), Administration Police and other specialised units has failed to scare the nomadic rustlers, with the latest intervention being the establishment of the Administration Police Service Field Training Camp at Lii in Igembe North Constituency.

“We want the government to admit that it is unable to combat the invaders. That admission will allow us to defend ourselves,” says Janson Mugambi, a livestock trader at Kianjai Market, which hosts a once-thriving livestock market.

Economic impact

Thousands of livelihoods in the five constituencies of Tigania East, Tigania West, Igembe Central, Buuri and Igembe North have been robbed of their livestock, leaving them further economically impoverished.

“We cannot afford to pay school fees for our children because our livestock, our main source of income, has been taken away and the purported recovery efforts have not been successful,” laments Benson Koome, a resident of Athwana in Tigania West.

The five constituencies are semi-arid, with limited farming activities, hence residents’ pain at being robbed of their only livelihood.

The insecurity situation is a serious concern among affected communities, with Florence Kajuju, former Meru Woman Representative, pushing for the invasion to be declared a national disaster.

According to Kajuju, the armed raiders, believed to be from neighbouring counties of Laikipia, Isiolo and Samburu, have killed over 100 people in recent years and stolen tens of thousands of livestock, besides causing widespread suffering and poverty.

In light of the violence visited upon locals over the years, Kajuju believes cattle rustling and banditry should be officially declared a national disaster and appropriate measures taken to curb the menace.

Speaking recently on vernacular radio station Muuga FM, the former Meru Woman Rep challenged local MPs to summon Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to explain what steps the national government is taking to stop the killings, livestock theft and alleged sexual violence against local women during some raids.

“The government should declare cattle rustling in Meru County a national disaster. Over 100 people have been killed, tens of thousands of livestock stolen, and women have been violated in the process,” Kajuju said.

The latest raid occurred on April 28, 2026, when over 300 livestock were stolen by the rustlers, a raid that came four days after the Lii camp was officially commissioned by Murkomen in a function that saw about 2,000 NPR officers engaged in simulation training.

“They must bear political responsibility, because they were elected to do oversight, representation and legislation. We must demand that MPs exercise their power. I want them to move a motion summoning the Interior CS to explain why the attacks persist, because it has become a national problem,” stated Kajuju, who hails from Tigania East, one of the most affected areas.

Gender concerns

Educationist-cum-community leader Dr Sarah Kilemi, from Tigania West Constituency, is concerned that sexual violence has been part of the cattle raids, amplifying calls for the national government to rein in insecurity.

“The bandits are raping women in the farms and impoverishing families. This government has failed to protect the people,” decried Dr Kilemi.

CS Murkomen has made several trips to Meru and neighbouring regions recently and has vowed action to rein in the criminals.

Speaking when he commissioned the Administration Police Service Field Training Camp, Murkomen, accompanied by Inspector General Douglas Kanja, Deputy Inspector General Gilbert Masengeli, Meru Governor Isaac Mutuma and area MP Julius Taitumu, expressed confidence that the insecurity situation would soon be brought under control.

He assured locals that a security operation he recently ordered to cover Meru and neighbouring counties had led to the recovery of stolen livestock.

“In total, we have recovered 170 cattle, 1,336 goats, 20 camels and two donkeys,” said Murkomen.

According to Governor Mutuma, affected people want compensation for unrecovered livestock and those killed over the years.

“The government has done well in reducing insecurity in gazetted areas. But still, we are not yet there. Out of 15,000 heads of cattle lost in the last few years, only 180 have been recovered. We want full recovery; if that is not possible, we are appealing for compensation,” Mutuma said.

The economic cost of insecurity, which has left hundreds of thousands at the mercy of heavily armed attackers, has been significant.

An angry MP Taitumu bemoaned the continuous loss of lives and livestock in the county. According to the lawmaker, despite thousands of livestock being stolen in Igembe North, only a few have been recovered and perpetrators remain at large.

“We depend on pastoralism for sustenance. It is from our beef and milk that we get income, but unfortunately cattle rustlers from neighbouring counties have taken away those sources of income,” he said at Ndumuru area where three locals were killed recently.

Taitumu said the entire community that relies on livestock to sustain families has been impoverished due to sustained raids.

He called on the national government to address the insecurity issue once and for all, since it has existed for decades. “Pastoralism contributes significantly to our Gross Domestic Product, just as coffee and tea do. So the government must work hard to support pastoralists for us to produce more beef and milk,” reiterated Taitumu.

Former Meru governors Kiraitu Murungi and Peter Munya have in the past claimed that cattle raids could be a smokescreen — suggesting that powerful land cartels seeking to grab land along the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor may be sponsoring attacks to scare away residents.

Land grabbing

According to Munya, it is regrettable that government officials are engaging in politics while people continue to suffer insecurity as armed militias raid the five constituencies. “These attacks are well coordinated. The real intention is to drive our people out so that land can be allocated to others,” he claimed.

Isaiah Thuranira, a resident of Gambela, shares a similar view, linking the persistent attacks to interests beyond livestock theft. “People are being attacked in their farms, regardless of whether they have cattle or not. People have been killed in farms, homes and even while walking on roads,” said Mr Thuranira.

Julius Muthaura, a farmer at Mbataru, said: “These people have invaded and fenced off our farms. They are armed. They came and fenced off my farm and chased me away,” he said tearfully.

That said, CS Murkomen vowed that the government will take action against any sponsors of insecurity and their accomplices.

His predecessor, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, had in the past made several trips to affected areas. “They come from Isiolo and Samburu. We will increase operations to eradicate cattle rustling in Samburu, Isiolo and Marsabit. We will impose a curfew to end the rustling,” Prof Kindiki once said.

According to security expert and psychology lecturer at a Tharaka Nithi-based university, Dr Kirimi Arimi, it is prudent to examine the circumstances fuelling insecurity in the region in order to address cattle rustling and banditry more effectively.

“Every crime has a motive, commercial gain, political interests, or strategic displacement of inhabitants. It is important to explore possible collaborators from the target area. This, combined with structured security, can strengthen the fight against insecurity,” Dr Arimi stated.