Garissa governor lauds regional security head over performance

BY: Garissa County Government Press Unit

GARISSA—Garissa Governor Nathif Jama has lauded the leadership of Northeastern regional coordinator Mohamud Saleh and his security team in the county for suppressing insecurity in the region over the last three months.

He was speaking in Garissa town just days after security agencies recovered a haul of weapons, including seven rocket-propelled grenades in a house in Soko Ng’ombe area metres from where 148 people mostly students at the Garissa University College were killed by Al Shabab operatives in April.

Garissa governor (Right) with county commissioner Harun Khatoor

Governor Nathif said Garissa town had lately become more habitable as compared to previous three months when the rates of insecurity was increasingly high.

“It is important to give credit where is due, I therefore laud our security agents for the good job they have done for the last three months to suppress insecurity,” said the governor.

On Wednesday, police recovered a haul of weapons including seven rocket-propelled grenades, 3 AK47 rifles, 227 bullets, hand grenades, five IED timers, four magazines and mobile phones. It was the second haul in Garissa in four days.

Governor Nathif said security was a fundamental ingredient for development to be achieved in any community within the country or any part of the world.

He said security agencies under the leadership of Mohamud Saleh had heard cries of the locals on insecurity that had escalated in the town scaring away investors and locals alike and had worked on practical strategies to avert it.

“A week would not pass without hearing that a person been shot dead by unknown assailants in this town a few months back,” Nathif observed.

The governor said the county government was cooperating harmoniously with the security agencies in the county and was ready to support them in all ways to ensure enhanced security and order and see Garissa recapture the title of the most peaceful town in east and central Africa by Interpol in 2010.

“We are ready to step in and play a role whenever we are asked to boost security in this county by offering necessary support in terms of equipment, logistics and vehicles to help our security agencies in their daily operations.

He noted the latest bust was possible through intelligence gathered from members of the public and urged residents to continue assisting security agencies identify the criminal elements that may be hiding in their midst by being active players in community policing and nyumba kumi initiatives.

He revealed the county government was working on a couple of projects aimed at motivating officers serving in the county top of which was rehabilitation of housing project in all stations from Bothai to Bothai.

He added that his office was working on a model of partnership with the local security agents to bridge the existing gap between the law enforcers on the local residents.

He called on the residents to create good relationships with the police and called on the security agents to do everything possible to ensure all the residents and their property were at all times protected and that they ran their daily businesses without any interruption.