Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has issued an update on the search of Lake Turkana fishermen who went missing after they came under attack from suspected Dassanech militia from Ethiopia, in Todonyang along the Kenya-Ethiopia boarder.
Murkomen in a statement issued on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, said that following diplomatic discussions in Nairobi between Kenyan and Ethiopian officials, Kenyan team had been allowed full access to search for the missing persons on the Ethiopian side.
Murkomen in the statement noted that the team from the Kenyan side, working with their Ethiopian counterparts, had on Wednesday, February 26, accessed the area of the incident and were actively searching for the missing persons and 15 boats.
“On Tuesday, 25th February, 2025, diplomatic discussions in Nairobi between Kenyan and Ethiopian officials bore fruits late in the evening allowing full access to the Kenyan team to search for the missing persons on the Ethiopian side. Today, the team from the Kenyan side, working with their Ethiopian counterparts, accessed the area of the incident and is currently searching for the missing persons and 15 boats,” Murkomen said.
Murkomen on Todonyang clashes
The group of Kenyan fishermen who were on a routine fishing mission in Lake Turkana came under attack on Saturday, February 22, 2025.
Due to poor communication on the Ethiopian side, Murkomen says information of the attack started reaching the Kenyan authorities late at night.
As a result, efforts were immediately made by the local security agencies in Turkana County to establish the magnitude of the attack.
A reporting desk was then established at the Todonyang GSU camp for residents to report missing persons on Sunday, February 23, 2025.
A security team led by the Turkana County Commissioner made contact with Ethiopian authorities, who promised them access to the Ethiopian side to commence a search and rescue operation.
Murkomen visits the scene
Murkomen on Monday, February 24, visited the area to assess the state of affairs in the company of other senior state officers.
During his visit, Murkomen formed a team led by the Regional Commissioner to negotiate with Ethiopian authorities to facilitate access to the Ethiopian side.
“Monday 24th February, 2025, I visited the area to assess the state of affairs in the company of East African Community Affairs and Regional Development CS Hon. Beatrice Askul, Turkana County Senator James Lomenen, Turkana North MP Hon. Ekwom Nabuin, the DIG NPS Eliud Lagat, Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Dr Abdi Hassan, GSU commandant Ranson Lolmodooni, Turkana County Commissioner Julius Kavita among other leaders and security officials. We formed a team led by the Regional Commissioner to negotiate with Ethiopian authorities to facilitate access to the Ethiopian side,” Murkomen said in his statement.
UPDATE ON THE SEARCH OF MISSING KENYAN CITIZENS FOLLOWING CROSS-BORDER ATTACK IN TODONYANG ALONG THE KENYA-ETHIOPIA BORDER pic.twitter.com/4wwlxaP830
— KIPCHUMBA MURKOMEN, E.G.H (@kipmurkomen) February 26, 2025
He has further given an assurance that the government is doing everything possible to account for all missing persons and restore nomalcy in the area.
“The Government is doing everything possible to account for all missing persons while at the same time engaging with the Ethiopian government to restore normalcy in the area. We stand in solidarity with the families whose loved ones are unaccounted for and appeal for calm. We will give another update on the progress of the search and rescue efforts in due course,” he stated.