NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 29 — Police in Isiolo County say they have made a significant breakthrough in the fight against cattle rustling, arresting five armed suspects and recovering 300 stolen goats during a patrol operation in Malkandaka.The livestock, which had been stolen in a violent raid on a herder in Garbatula, was successfully recovered and returned to its rightful owner, the Kenya Police Service (KPS) confirmed on Monday.The arrest marks one of several recent security successes in a region long plagued by livestock theft and banditry.Cattle rustling remains a persistent threat across Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands, where law enforcement agencies and local communities continue to grapple with violent raids that destroy livelihoods and, at times, escalate into deadly confrontations.“Police on patrol in Malkandaka, Isiolo County, cornered five armed rustlers and recovered 300 goats stolen in a violent raid on a herder in Garbatula,” the Police Service said in a statement.Security operations have been intensified amid continued losses in neighbouring areas. In late November, coordinated night raids in Meru and Isiolo counties left at least seven people dead and hundreds of livestock stolen, underscoring the volatility of the situation.Police say authorities nationwide are scaling up efforts to curb livestock theft, including the recruitment of additional National Police Reservists, enhanced patrols in hotspot areas, and the deployment of specialised units to counter rustlers and armed bandits.Residents and security officials have continued to call for sustained, long-term measures to protect herders and their animals, restore confidence in pastoral economies, and break the cycle of retaliatory violence that cattle rustling often fuels across frontier counties.