Coast Regional Commissioner (RC) John Elungata says the government has deployed enough police reservists in the troubled Lamu County in a bid to boost security.
Elungata says the police reservists will offer support to the regular security personnel stationed in the region and provide an important first response to incidents of insecurity.
He said the deployment of the reservists will bolster security noting that they are conversant with the terrain.
“The reservists are meant to supplement the role of the regular police in providing security in remote and far-flung areas,” he said.
Speaking at Mokowe trading centre in the company of Mbage Nganga a Commissioner with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), Elungata noted that the local reservists will help fight insecurity in remote parts of the Lamu archipelago.
Elungata said the reservists will help in intelligence gathering at the grassroots level and cooperate with the regular security agencies in restoring peace and stability in the county.
The senior administrator said the reservists will receive the necessary support from the government including stipends to help them meet their basic needs.
The RC said the police reservists are expected to be the main visible security force in the villages since they operate within their own locality.
Elungata has also assured teachers and students of their security during the national examinations saying there is no need for them to worry as the government has deployed enough security personnel in the region.
He said the government was determined to enhance learning in the region citing the construction of the Lamu National School in Basuba area of Lamu East.
Elungata who was accompanied by top security officials from the region said some schools in the area which had been closed down for years owing to insecurity were recently officially opened and new teachers posted.
He asked the teachers to stop worrying since they were under protective surveillance from security officers operating in the area.
The Regional Commissioner urged local residents to co-operate with security personnel and volunteer information on suspicious activities.
On his part Nganga said the TSC is alive to the teacher shortage problems in the region occasioned by insecurity and will do everything within its powers to remedy the situation.
Nganga said the commission is facing the challenges of inadequate funding to recruit teachers.
By Mohamed Hassan
