The security situation in Wajir County remains stable and under firm control, North Eastern Regional Commissioner (RC) John Otieno has said. He credited this to the effective coordination of security agencies across the 14 sub-counties.
The RC, who was briefing the media after a high-level regional security committee meeting held in Wajir town, said the meeting brought together the county and sub-county security teams to review the current security status and address emerging concerns.
“We are here as a regional security committee to engage with the county and sub-county security teams to review the security situation in Wajir and deliberate on key issues. I’m pleased to report that Wajir is stable and well-managed,” said Otieno.
He noted that while there were no major security threats reported, the committee identified emerging concerns including gender-based violence and land-related disputes which require urgent and firm intervention.
Otieno decried the persistence of retrogressive cultural practices such as maslaha in handling gender-based violence cases, warning that such actions contravene the law. Thus, he directed officers to take firm legal action against perpetrators.
“We have instructed our officers to deal decisively with gender-based violence in accordance with the law. The traditional ways of resolving such cases are illegal and are only serving to embolden offenders,” he added.
On land disputes, the RC said existing conflicts have been contained but emphasized the need for swift resolution mechanisms to prevent escalation.
He advocated for increased collaboration among all stakeholders, including elected leaders, to foster peace, security, and development in the region.
By Hamdi Buthul
