Catholic Bishop of Isiolo, Kenya, Raises Alarm Over “worsening” Insecurity in His Episcopal See, Calls for Urgent Action

Isiolo, 03 February, 2026 / 6:46 PM

Security agencies in areas served by Catholic Diocese of Isiolo in the Upper Eastern region of Kenya have been urged to take decisive and urgent measures to end recurring incidents of insecurity and cattle rustling.

In a  February 1 statement issued a day after a deadly banditry attack that left a 15-year-old herder dead, Bishop Peter Munguti Makau of Isiolo Diocese expressed concern that the situation “is getting out of control” in his Episcopal See.

“The state of insecurity in Isiolo is worsening due to armed raids and cattle rustling. There are frequent gunshots that disrupt daily life, and this is happening even in broad daylight,” Bishop Munguti said during Holy Mass at St. Eusebius Cathedral of Isiolo Diocese.

The Bishop lamented that the frequent incidents of insecurity in the region and cattle rustling have created “great anxiety among the people” and “are affecting trade, business operations, and limiting our movement.”

“Our children are no longer going to school,” he said, referring to the most affected areas, and went on to highlight the importance of cooperation between members of the local communities and law enforcement agencies in curbing the insecurity and cattle rustling.

He said, “Let us fight this evil. We know that some of those who perpetrate these acts are known to us. Some even call themselves Christians. If it is our youth, whom we know and who may even be our children, let us talk to them."

The 50-year-old Kenyan Catholic Church leader emphasized the importance of dialogue and the role of families in tackling the root causes of insecurity in the region.

“We are all deeply pained by what is happening in Isiolo. It is necessary that we become instruments of peace, starting in our families, in our communities, in our Diocese, and especially in our county,” the Kenyan member of the Consolata Missionaries (IMC) said.

He warned that continued insecurity and livestock theft would render Isiolo unlivable, drive away businesses, and force residents to flee.

“When there is insecurity, our friends and partners will not come to support us, and traders will not come either. So let us talk to one another and dialogue so that we can stop these things that bring hostility among us,” he said.

Questioning the value of stolen livestock, Bishop Munguti reminded perpetrators of the futility of violence and theft, noting that material gain cannot justify the loss of life, peace, and community harmony.

“You will be praised for having five hundred goats that were stolen or six hundred cattle that were stolen, but you will leave them all behind,” he said and went on to encourage the people under his pastoral care to coexist harmoniously as one Christian family despite belonging to different ethnic communities.

He said, “We belong to different tribes, but we are one tribe as Christians. Let us love one another, respect one another, and live in peace with faith in Jesus, because if things continue the way they are in Isiolo, the place will become unlivable.”

“As the Holy Father always tells us, it is the time for us to be bridges and not walls. Let us cultivate peace among ourselves at all times and always be instruments of peace,” Bishop Munguti appealed in his February 1 statement.