When the Kenya Kwanza administration took office in 2022, banditry was one of the country’s most pressing security challenges. Brazen bandits, armed with illegal firearms, unleashed terror across at least seven counties, stealing livestock, leaving behind trails of bloodshed, and forcing thousands from their homes. Three years on, a multi-agency security crackdown, code-named Operation Maliza Uhalifu, has restored calm. Gunfire has fallen silent, bandits cornered by security forces are now surrendering, and displaced families are returning home to rebuild their lives.
