Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has moved swiftly to quell speculation over the fate of the prestigious Kiganjo Police Training College, firmly dismissing claims that the institution is set for relocation to his home region.
Speaking on Tuesday, December 30, Murkomen clarified that his remarks had been misinterpreted, stressing that the government has no plans to move Kiganjo. Instead, he said, the State is rolling out an ambitious strategy to establish practical security training grounds in Kenya’s most volatile regions, including Kerio Valley, West Pokot and Baringo.
“I tried to explain this recently, and someone said I want to relocate Kiganjo to Marakwet. That is not what I meant,” Murkomen said, pushing back against the claims. “What we want are training grounds in hard zones.”
Under the proposed model, police officers will continue to undergo classroom training at established institutions such as Kiganjo, Embakasi A and Embakasi B, before being deployed to high-risk regions for hands-on field training. The aim, Murkomen explained, is to expose officers to real-world security threats such as banditry, cattle rustling and armed conflict.
“We want officers, after classes, to go for practicals in Kerio Valley and other danger-prone areas,” he said. “That is where the real challenges are.”
In a major revelation, Murkomen also announced that Kiganjo Police Training College is set for a major upgrade, with plans underway to elevate it into a campus of a future police university. The move follows concerns that the current nine-month training period for police officers is inadequate in the face of evolving security threats.
“The President has said we will establish a police university, and Kiganjo will be one of the campuses,” Murkomen disclosed. “Training an officer for nine months is not enough. There must be continuous training.”
The proposed training grounds in Kerio Valley form part of a broader security blueprint aimed at delivering lasting peace in regions long plagued by insecurity. According to Murkomen, the government plans to set up permanent security installations, including operational bases for specialized police units alongside training facilities comparable to Kiganjo.
“As part of ensuring that the peace we are seeing now becomes permanent, we shall establish permanent security installations—both operational bases and training grounds,” he said. “Just as people go to Kiganjo, they must also come to Kerio.”
Murkomen made the remarks during a visit to the Todo KDF Camp in Kolowa Sub-county, Baringo County, where he met officers deployed under the multi-agency Operation Maliza Uhalifu.
He was accompanied by Deputy Inspector-General of the Kenya Police Service Eliud Lagat, Deputy Inspector-General of the Administration Police Service Gilbert Masengeli, and other senior security officials.
The clarifications come amid heightened public interest in security reforms, with the government signaling a shift toward practical, continuous and region-specific police training as it confronts Kenya’s toughest security challenges head-on.
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