Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi on Monday, January 25 announced a dusk to dawn curfew (6 am to 6 pm) in Kapedo, Turkana East Sub-County.
This followed clashes involving members of the Pokot and Turkana communities, bandits and security forces in Kapedo. The unrest has caused the death of 6 civilians and 4 security officers whose bodies were discovered with gunshot wounds in a thicket.
Stringent measures have been introduced in a bid to unmask the individuals behind the unrest and eliminate gangs in possession of illegal firearms at the border of Baringo and Turkana counties.
The CS stated that the curfew was important to ensure a thorough uninterrupted search to find the individuals behind the turmoil in Kapedo.
On January 14, Regional Commissioner George Natembeya had disclosed the limitations in terms of resources and infrastructure in the area, describing Kapedo as an expansive area with sparse settlement leaving space for bandits to settle and cause mayhem.
He further stated that the area was policed with a contingent of the General Service Unit (GSU), RBU and the military.
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CS Matiangi further emphasized on the security situation at the Kenya-Somali border, noting that there were no unusual threats and security challenges from Somalia other than from outlawed Al Shabab elements. He further affirmed the ability to deploy resources if need be.
Matiang’i was responding to reports of fighting near the border. He maintained that the reported clashes took place in Somalia and did not involve Kenya in any way.
The CS had earlier in the day held a meeting with UK Secretary of state for Defence, Ben Wallace.
He expounded on the signing of the UK-Kenya refreshed Security Compact, referring to the agreement as a testament of the flourishing partnership between the two nations.
“The compact focuses on coordination & collaboration in capacity building & provides renewed momentum & joint leadership in responding to mutual challenges like global terrorism,” Matiang’i noted.
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