The government has instituted measures aimed at ensuring adequate security for the residents of Marsabit County and protection of their property.
Marsabit County Commissioner James Kamau also warned local politicians against inciting members of the public along ethnic inclinations to cause mayhem.
At the same time, Kamau called on area residents to continue embracing community policing in order to check on infiltration by unauthorized strangers and criminals.
In a briefing to the media following the killing of a boda boda operator within Marsabit town Monday night, the county commissioner said security patrols had also been enhanced, even as he called for calm.
The rider, identified as 32-year-old Abraham Belacho was reportedly murdered by unknown attackers who had posed as customers.
The assailants stabbed the deceased several times in the chest and back and slit his throat before fleeing with his motorcycle.
The County Commissioner said police had already commenced investigations into the incident, adding that security agencies will not relent on the manhunt until the culprits are brought to book.
Aggrieved Marsabit town residents backed by other boda boda operators then took to the streets to protest against the brutal murder of their own.
The protesters called for swift investigations with the county commissioner assuring that justice would finally be served.
“The situation is under control and we are going to conduct thorough investigations to ensure the culprits are apprehended,” he assured.
Kamau further said that the relevant authorities would be holding a meeting with bodaboda operators in the region to plan for transport operations going forward and address their security concerns.
“We have agreed that security stakeholders will work out modalities on how crime suspects operating in this county could be profiled for appropriate action,” he said.
On incitement, the county commissioner cautioned local politicians against whipping emotions aimed at causing violence, whenever a crime incident occurred, emphasizing that its not communities that actually commit crimes, but rather individuals at their self-capacities.
He warned that such acts of generalization of crime could cause ethnic animosity and result in unwarranted conflicts.
“We have witnessed clashes before, and we will not allow crime incidents to be used to divide communities,” he cautioned.
The county commissioner asked members of the public to support the ongoing investigations by passing over useful information to the police or any other security agencies.
He also asked chiefs to continue upholding the Nyumba Kumi community policing initiative saying it was the best-suited way of ensuring security for all citizens, wherever they lived.
By Sebastian Miriti and Mike Osumo
