Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has confirmed the release of five Chiefs who Al-Shabaab insurgents abducted in Mandera County.
The Chiefs; Mohamed Adawa, Mohamed Hassan, Abdi Hassan, Mohamed Noor Hache, and Assistant Chief Ibrahim Gabow from Elwak Sub-County were abducted in February, a day before the Head of State visited the County.
“We have very good news that our Chiefs who were abducted in Mandera have been released and are now in the hands of Kenyan officials and they will be arriving home anytime soon,” announced CS Murkomen during a media briefing at the Coast Regional Commissioner’s Office.
The CS lauded collaborative efforts between the community and the National and County Government of Mandera for the release of the captives.
“This process has borne fruits; we will be commenting further in the near future once our Chiefs are within the country, and we will be giving you even more updates on the programmes and what we are doing,” the CS stated.
The Police Officers along the Kenyan borders were praised for working around the clock in protecting the country amid external threats.
“We don’t speak about this every day, but it just needs to be known by all Kenyans that we are safe because Police Officers, National Police Reservists, Our Chiefs, Assistant Chiefs and many citizens in the community who are cooperating with the security are helping us to make our country safe,” he said.
The CS put on notice gangs and goons disrupting meetings, saying the government will not condone the behavior.
“This country must be led by the rule of law, and injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere. We are not going to allow extrajudicial processes to continue in the country. We must remain a country of law and order,” the CS stated
“Ours is apolitical; we don’t subscribe to any political side; ours is to make sure everybody can exercise their right freely across the country without being hindered as long as they go about it peacefully,” he added.
The CS has today begun a six-working tour of all the six Coastal Counties-Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Tana River, Taita-Taveta and Lamu.
The visit comes in the wake of a resurgence of criminal gangs terrorizing the residents; however, CS Murkomen assured residents and tourists of security.
The CS said they would enhance the security of tourists and tourist establishments in the region days after a tourist was robbed in broad daylight.
“There is no cause for alarm; there was recently a false alarm about the dangers faced by our tourists, but I have been briefed accordingly. The situation that occurred is nothing to worry us. It is containable.”
The CS also promised to improve the welfare of Police Officers, including mental health, to reduce the cases that have resulted in murders.
In his working tour, the CS will hold a town hall meeting with Chiefs, Assistant Chiefs and local leaders to come up with strategies to tackle the menace of drug and substance abuse in the region.
The CS will also address the invasion of private properties by land grabbers and squatters through court processes and Alternative Dispute Resolution.
“Some of these land issues have created conflicts and also conflicts among communities-pastoralist vis-à-vis farmers in areas like Tana River, Taita-Taveta and Lamu,” the CS stated.
By Sadik Hassan
