Security officers have been urged to manage natural resources to reduce conflict among themselves. 

Speaking during a start-up workshop on the Integrated Natural Resource Management Programme in Eldoret on Tuesday, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo said modern security management requires officers to focus on natural resource use and protection.

Dr. Omollo said the security situation had become sophisticated and demanded attention beyond maintaining law and order.

“Traditionally, our mandate as a State department has been associated with maintaining law and order. However, in today’s evolving governance and security landscape, it is clear that the sustainable management and protection of natural resources is a critical pillar of national security,” he said.

Omollo said competition for resources, including land, water, forests, fisheries, and pasture, had historically contributed to local tensions and conflicts.

He noted that climate variability, environmental degradation, and pressure on the resources had caused security challenges in some parts of the country in the past. 

The PS said degradation of ecosystems led to resource scarcity, threatened livelihoods, diminished economic opportunities, and social tensions.

“Conversely, when natural resources are sustainably managed and equitably accessed, communities become more resilient, livelihoods are strengthened, and stability is reinforced,” he said. 

Citing conflicts arising from competition for pasture and water among herders in arid and semi-arid areas during droughts, the PS said there was a direct relationship between environmental stress and insecurity.

He urged the officers to check against illegal logging and encroachment of forests as part of their duty to secure the country, noting that extreme environmental conditions had wreaked havoc in the country, citing the recent flash floods in the country that killed 40 people, injured many, and destroyed property.

“These realities remind us that the protection of natural resources is not only about conservation, but it is also about safeguarding livelihoods, preventing situations that may cause conflict, and protecting the long-term stability of our nation,” he noted.

According to Omollo, climate variability, environmental degradation, and pressure on the resources had caused security challenges in some parts of the country in the past.

Dr. Omollo said degradation of ecosystems led to resource scarcity, threatened livelihoods, diminished economic opportunities, and social 
tensions.