Hiiraan Online

NAIROBI, Kenya (HOL) — Kenya’s government has dismissed reports that armed forces from Somalia’s Jubaland administration crossed into Mandera County, despite mounting concerns from residents and political leaders over a possible violation of the country’s sovereignty.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said allegations of foreign troops operating on Kenyan soil were misleading and politically motivated. Speaking in Busia, he insisted those sighted in Mandera were Somali civilians fleeing insecurity and accused opponents of using the issue to tarnish President William Ruto’s administration.

“At the moment, there is no cause for alarm. Politicizing security is unnecessary. I know there are some people who want to score cheap political benefits from it, but it is not in the interest of this government to play political ping-pong with opposition leaders or anyone else on matters of security.”

Murkomen added that border surveillance and intelligence sharing would be enhanced.

Despite the government’s reassurances, Mandera leaders say Jubaland forces have been present in the county since mid-August. Senator Ali Roba and Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif alleged the troops established camps inside Mandera town, including at Bordan Primary School, which was shut weeks before national exams.

Roba said the armed presence had shuttered businesses and displaced families fearing stray bullets and rocket fire from clashes spilling over the frontier.

“Shockingly, Jubaland forces are consolidating their strength inside Mandera town on Kenyan soil, literally taking over our community. This is a humiliation of our sovereignty,” Roba wrote on his X handle. “

Governor Khalif warned Mandera “cannot be turned into a battleground for Somalia” and accused the Kenya Defence Forces of tacitly supporting Jubaland units. He also urged Ethiopia not to use Mandera as a staging ground for operations linked to Somalia.

Kenya has long supported Jubaland as a buffer against al-Shabab, a policy critics say risks entangling Mandera in Somalia’s internal conflicts.