The police in Marsabit have launched investigations over simmering tension in the area following threats to civilians and the police force by an unidentified group of criminals suspected to be against forceful disarmament.
According to a report by the Kenya News Agency, residents in Marsabit were thrown into panic after leaflets containing what police described as terror threats were circulated on Thursday, December 19, morning.
Marsabit County Commissioner, Evans Achoki informed journalists that part of the threats to peace highlighted in the leaflets was the intention to attack two police posts at Jaldesa and Kubi Qallo rekindling memories of an earlier attack that left three security officers dead.
Achoki was reported to have been in a county security meeting on control of contraband goods sneaked into the country, when he received word of the circulating leaflets.
“The government will not allow any acts of lawlessness which has in the past occasioned displacement of families besides claiming lives, including that of three police officers,” Achoki warned.
On November 11, the government had been forced to resort to forceful disarmament after residents failed to respect a 24-hour ultimatum issued on Friday, November 8, to surrender illegal firearms and guns stolen from three policemen killed in a banditry attack in Jaldesa area on the Tuesday of that week.
“This county is awash with illegal firearms and as a government, we are committed to restoring law and order, thus a forceful disarmament was inevitable,” Eastern Regional Commissioner (RC), Isaiah Nakoru, had remarked at the time.
The county commissioner assured residents on Thursday that the process of recruiting assistant county commissioners as well as chiefs and their assistants was underway in affected areas to boost security operations.
He also added that security at the Kenya-Ethiopian border had been beefed up to control and prevent illegal entry of criminals and firearms into the country.
This was after the Marsabit authorities had recovered the three G3 guns that were stolen from the deceased officers and found abandoned at the different places in the Shurr area.
The county commissioner further stated that the leaflets were distributed by groups intending to instill fear and despondency.
Ethnic clashes between the Borana, Gabra and Haro Giresa had turned Marsabit into a deathbed before the disarmament exercise was enforced.
