Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has suspended the construction of a planned multi-agency security installation along the Wajir–Marsabit border following a dispute over its exact location and escalating tensions between local communities and leaders.
The decision comes after concerns were raised in Parliament and a widely circulated video showed a heated confrontation involving a local elder, security officers, and Sololo elders, prompting questions over whether adequate consultation had been conducted before the project commenced.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s security committee on Tuesday, Murkomen said the matter had been brought to his attention by Moyale Member of Parliament Guyo Waqo, who disputed the government’s position on the proposed site.
Murkomen told lawmakers that initial assessments had placed the facility at Tito sub-location in Basir division, Eldas constituency, within Wajir County, but said the interpretation of boundaries had since been challenged.
However, the explanation was rejected by MP Waqo, who presented a map contesting the government’s location details.
“Murkomen, I am getting disturbed. Your opening statement is misleading, and if that is the information you have been given by the people being accused, then I have no business asking that question,” Waqo said.
In response, Murkomen clarified that he was not personally involved in the siting process and was relying on official reports submitted to his office.
He explained that the project originated from recommendations made during the Jukwaa La Usalama forum held in Wajir on 24 September 2024, where security agencies identified the area as a hotspot for arms movement, narcotics trafficking, human trafficking, and alleged OLF-linked activities.
“The proposal for the Basir multi-agency facility came from a security assessment that highlighted serious threats in the region,” he said.
Murkomen further told the committee that an earlier proposed site at Malka-Titu, about four kilometres from the Wajir–Marsabit border, was rejected following objections from sections of the Marsabit community.
He said a joint elders’ meeting was later convened on 9 January 2026 at the Deputy County Commissioner’s office in Basir to resolve the dispute.
According to him, the Sololo delegation requested 30 days to conduct community sensitisation, but no formal feedback was received.
This led authorities to identify an alternative site approximately 11 kilometres from the border, with construction under the Eldas NG-CDF programme scheduled to begin on 4 April 2026.
However, the report triggered fresh objections from Marsabit leaders, including Women Representative Naomi Waqo and Saku Member of Parliament Dido Ali Rasso, who questioned the accuracy of boundary interpretations and the adequacy of consultations.
In response to the escalating dispute, Murkomen ordered an immediate suspension of the project and directed regional security teams to intensify public engagement through barazas.
“I have told the regional security team to halt the construction to hold more barazas,” he said. “It does not matter whether the facility falls in Wajir or Marsabit. The fact is that there is a security problem in that area.”
He added that the final decision will depend on consensus between the affected communities, suggesting possible cost-sharing arrangements between constituencies if agreement is reached.
The suspension is expected to allow further consultations aimed at resolving the boundary disagreement while maintaining focus on addressing insecurity in the border region.