Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has imposed a 30-days dusk to dawn curfew in Marsabit county.
Chairing a security meeting at the General Service Unit Headquarters, Matiang’i said the curfew, which would take effect today, will also allow security services to deal with the illicit proliferation of firearms in Isiolo and Marsabit counties.
“Effective from 6 pm on May 2 we have placed the whole of Marsabit County under curfew to be followed by an operation to rid of illegal guns causing havoc there. Leaders in the area are urged to cooperate,” he said.
He ordered a crackdown on illegal mining, which appears to be contributing to the spike in instability.
Matiang’i also declared Kom Sub-location in Isiolo County a disturbed area for the next 30 days, saying the government has been deploying security forces in the area to deal with suspected bandits.
According to Matiang’i, the operation may be continued until the illegal weapons wreaking havoc are removed.
He attributed the insecurity in the area to some local leaders arming their clan militias.
Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho, Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai, his deputy Edward Mbugua, GSU commandant Douglas Kanja, chairman of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission, and other key officials made the announcement at the General Service Unit.
This is because of fears some terror groups are using the area as a route to transport their weapons for attacks in other places like Nairobi.
“We have noticed the nexus between the proliferation of the guns in Marsabit and the chaos in Komu where there are illegal mining activities ongoing there,” Matiang’i said.
He claims that mining activities are fuelling some of the illicit activities in the area, and that they will now be addressed.
The neighbourhood has been in mayhem, with shooters roaming the streets, killing and injuring dozens of people.
The government had given the residents three months to come up with a solution or a plan to commence an operation in the province’s largest county.
However, the attacks have continued. Six individuals were killed and four others were injured in an attack by gunmen in Laisamis last Thursday.
Seventeen other people who had gone missing were found after 24 hours.
The attackers have been attacking civilians in Marsabit town, among other places, with impunity, forcing the authorities to intervene in the operation.