IG David Kimaiyo extends Lamu curfew despite LSK's protest

NAIROBI, KENYA: Inspector General of police David Kimaiyo has for the third time extended the dusk to dawn curfew in Lamu County by a month.

Kimaiyo said the new curfew will run from October 22 to November 23 due to insecurity and ongoing police operations in the area.

The police boss’ move will most likely irk Law Society of Kenya which had last Thursday issued a 14 day ultimatum for the lifting of the curfew or they move to court to seek their lifting.

Tuesday, Kimaiyo added it will run between 6.30pm and 6.30am and urged locals to cooperate with security agents in the operation.

Kimaiyo also ordered no miraa will be transported to Somalia using the Kiunga route as has been the case.

“In accordance to the Public Order Act, Chapter 56 Laws of Kenya, I have today extended the curfew which I had earlier imposed in Lamu County for another month,” said Kimaiyo in his office.

He added on the expiry of the period the security situation will be reviewed and appropriate advice and direction will be given.

Kimaiyo said all residents of Lamu County will remain indoors during the curfew period unless one had a written permit from the County Commander of Police.

He said there will be restrictions of movements in areas of Bodhei, Basuba and Milimani to Kiunga towards the border lines which have designated routes into Somalia.

“Apart from this mentioned areas, all routes in the County which lead into Somali are under curfew.”

LSK chairman Eric Mutua argued the curfew had undermined the livelihood of Lamu residents, who depend on fishing and tourism.

“We are giving the inspector-general of police fourteen days to lift the curfew failure to which we will file a suit in court to have it lifted,” Mutua said.

He said a fact-finding team of lawyers had unearthed several cases of extrajudicial killings and torture by security forces deployed to the area to crack down on a militia suspected of being behind the spate of insecurity in the county that claimed the lives of over ninety people.

“Our team visited Mpeketoni, Witu and Pandanguo and interviewed victims of torture at the hands of our security forces. It also interviewed relatives of those who lost their lives at the hands of the security forces,” he said.

He stated that the committee, which was led by LSK council member Jenipher Shamalla, established that the security officers who were deployed to the county committed extrajudicial killings and gross violation of human rights.

The curfew orders were first issued in July when up to 100 people were killed and thousands displaced by gunmen in attacks in the area.

They came in the wake of fresh attacks by Al Shabaab militants who kidnapped five Kenyans and hijacked their two vehicles that were carrying miraa to Somalia. The five are yet to be found and the vehicles have since been seen in Jilb in Somalia.

Kimaiyo also declared Boni and other adjacent forests to be prohibited areas.

He warned residents against venturing into the forests as they would be treated as hostile suspects and would be arrested.

Night travels in the area have also been banned in the period.

Kimaiyo said all public transport vehicles in Lamu and Garsen will only be allowed to move under police escort and that officers would offer security for schools and other vital installations in the county.

He said after the expiry of the first curfew he issued in July, there is still need to carry out more security operations to ensure the area is safe.

This is after it emerged some of the gunmen behind the attacks in the area are still hiding in the forest.

He made the remarks in his office at a press conference attended by senior officers.

The expired curfew started on July 20 and ran for a month. It drew criticism after it fell on the Ramadhan period amidst calls by the locals and Muslim leadership to ignore it.

The attacks which have been claimed by Somali’s Al-Shabaab militants persisted despite the heavy presence of security in the area including the Kenya Defence Forces.