The successful hosting of Kenya's 63rd Madaraka Day celebrations in Wajir County stood as a powerful symbol of how improved security has transformed Northern Kenya over the years.
Once associated with frequent terror attacks, cross-border incursions, and insecurity, the region has witnessed significant gains through sustained anti-terror operations, enhanced border surveillance and greater state presence.
Much of this progress has been attributed to intensified intelligence-led security operations spearheaded by the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU), the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and the elite Special Operations Group (SOG).
National Intelligence Service (NIS) boss Noordin Haji, during a public lecture on Kenya’s evolving security landscape in March 2025, highlighted the role of intelligence in safeguarding Kenya’s borders.
“Intelligence, by its nature, operates in the shadows; it thrives on discretion and anonymity, handling information that is rarely discussed openly. Yet, at its core, intelligence exists to safeguard Kenya's national security, protect the fabric of our society and ensure the safety of our people. In an era where threats are dynamic, borderless, and increasingly, unconventional security is no longer the sole domain of government agencies,” Haji said.
Through coordinated surveillance, cross-border intelligence sharing and targeted operations against Al-Shabaab cells, security agencies have disrupted planned attacks, dismantled recruitment networks and denied militants safe havens in several parts of North Eastern Kenya.
The operations have significantly reduced the frequency of major terror incidents witnessed during the peak years of insecurity, helping restore public confidence and creating an environment where national events such as Madaraka Day can be held in the region.
President William Ruto's decision to lead the 63rd Madaraka Day celebrations in Wajir underscored growing confidence in the region's stability. However, beyond security operations, the President used his address to present a broader vision: that lasting peace in Northern Kenya depends not only on military and police interventions, but also on citizenship, inclusion and development.
From ending discriminatory identity card vetting to expanding education opportunities, protecting pastoral livelihoods and investing in infrastructure, the government argued that addressing historical marginalisation is essential to preventing insecurity and strengthening trust between citizens and the state.
For decades, counties such as Wajir, Mandera and Garissa have experienced recurring insecurity linked to Al-Shabaab attacks, cross-border infiltration from Somalia, clan-based conflicts and competition over scarce resources.
According to Interior Ministry security briefings in previous years, the North Eastern region accounted for a significant share of terror-related incidents, particularly between 2011 and 2017, when multiple coordinated attacks targeted police stations, transport routes and public facilities.
While the government has intensified counterterrorism operations, President Ruto argued that long-term security requires structural inclusion.
“Citizens were forced to prove they belong through a system built on suspicion, ethnic profiling, and bureaucratic humiliation,” President Ruto said, referring to the historical vetting process for national identity cards in Northern Kenya.
He added that exclusion had contributed to mistrust between citizens and the state, a gap that extremist groups have often exploited for recruitment.
“Equal citizenship reduces alienation – and reduces feelings of exclusion that extremist groups can exploit,” he said, linking identity reforms directly to national security.
One of the key policy shifts highlighted in the speech is the abolition of discriminatory ID vetting in border counties. While citizenship verification remains in place, the government has removed extra layers of ethnic-based scrutiny that had slowed access to identity documents for decades.
“A strong nation does not choose between security and justice. A strong nation protects both,” the President stressed, insisting that verification systems would remain, but without profiling communities.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has previously defended the reforms, stating that security systems remain intact despite administrative changes.
“The government retains robust multi-agency verification systems that ensure only legitimate citizens are issued with identity documents, while removing discriminatory practices that have no place in a modern security framework,” Murkomen noted in a recent briefing on national registration reforms.
The Interior Ministry has also emphasized that improved civil registration strengthens security databases, enabling better tracking of population movement, border control and early detection of identity fraud.
Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has similarly linked infrastructure development to security stabilisation in Northern Kenya, noting that road networks, digital connectivity and expanded government presence help reduce ungoverned spaces often exploited by armed groups.
The emerging message from Wajir is that insecurity in Northern Kenya cannot be addressed through force alone. Instead, it requires a combination of identity inclusion, economic investment, youth opportunity and stronger state presence.
The address signals a broader policy shift in how the state approaches insecurity in North Eastern Kenya, moving beyond a purely force-led response to one that integrates identity inclusion, economic investment, youth empowerment and stronger state presence. By linking access to documentation, livelihoods and infrastructure with stability, the government frames security as a development outcome.
In this approach, reducing exclusion and expanding opportunity are seen as central to lowering tensions and strengthening long-term peace across the region.