The government is set to review the 6am to 6pm curfew imposed in Kainuk, a volatile area bordering West Pokot and Turkana, for the first time in three years.
While holding a Jukwaa la Usalama meeting with security chiefs in Turkana on Wednesday, July 16, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen announced that the government will review the curfew with a view to lifting it after a period of relative calm in the region.
CS Murkomen observed that peace in the areas of Turkana South and East had necessitated the review.
"I will be reviewing the curfew timing based on the security briefing to give locals more time as we monitor the situation. In three months, if the conditions become good, we might consider lifting the orders,” Murkomen said at a media briefing in Lodwar.
According to the CS, if all goes well, the review will reduce the curfew period to between 10 pm and 4 am.
The curfew and movement restrictions were imposed following security concerns to restore peace and order in the region, especially in Kakuma Refugee camp and Kalobeyei settlement.
Clashes between security forces and bandits within the area led to the imposition of the curfew but drew concerns from residents who complained about disruptions in their transport and commercial activities.
At the same time, CS Murkomen announced that a multi-agency team was being set up in the volatile Todonyang area in Turkana North to commence recovery and support systems after a group of fishermen were attacked in Late Turkana.
According to the CS, this was in order to establish the exact number of deaths and missing persons after the deadly ambush on the fishermen by individuals believed to be Ethiopian militia.
“The government cannot still establish the exact figure of fatalities or missing persons unless reports are officially made to authorities. It was a complex and dynamic tragedy in the lake,” stated Murkomen.
In February this year, there were reports that 20 Kenyan fishermen were killed at the Todonyang border point along Lake Turkana after suspected gunmen ambushed them and opened fire indiscriminately.
According to reports, heavily armed militia stormed the area while the fishermen were engaged in their activities on Lake Turkana. The attack left several others critically injured.
