State urged to enhance collaboration between local communities, security agencies after it aided release of 5 Mandera abducted chiefs

The release of five chiefs abducted by suspected Al-Shabab militants in Mandera County in February has renewed calls for enhanced collaboration between the government and local communities to secure areas along the border with Somalia.

Their return, however, has sparked renewed hope for the possibility of dialogue-based solutions in resolving such incidents and reuniting more abducted Kenyans with their families

The chiefs—Adawa Abdi Mohamed, Mohamed Hassan Kulumia, Mohamednur Hache, Abdi Hassan Suraw, and Ibrahim Gabow—were reunited with their families on Saturday, April 12.

The administors were travelling to Elwak town from Wargadud in Mandera County for a security meeting when their convoy was intercepted and whisked across the Kenya-Somalia border to the Jilib region, an Al-Shabaab stronghold.

The purpose of their travel, according to initial reports, was to receive President Ruto, who was scheduled to tour Mandera County.

Upon their return, their families highlighted the “crucial role played by the community elders for their efforts to have them released.”

NIS boss Noordin Haji while delivering a public lecture at the National Intelligence and Research University (NIRU) in Nairobi.

Collaboration between Community Security Agencies 

Since mid-2022, local communities in Mandera, Wajir, Garissa and Lamu counties embraced what security experts termed as “a sustainable local solution to address a long-standing security challenge in the frontier counties.”

In the concept developed by the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the arrangement involves “a close working relations between the security agencies and the local communities to enhance collaboration.” The initiative also aims at establishing trust as well as removing barriers between the locals and security apparatus.

In Northeastern counties, communities residing within the Kenyan border have presence across the border, making it possible for cross-border, orgernised engagement when need arises.

According to Action for Sustainable Change ( AFOSC) Executive Director Mohamed Sheikh, the safe return of the chiefs marks a critical moment of relief for the region and serves as a testament to the effectiveness of coordinated peace-building efforts.

In a statement, Sheikh commended the swift intervention of the national government, Mandera County authorities, and the local council of elders, noting that their combined efforts and coordination secured the release of the chiefs without incident.

“This incident underscores the importance of continued cooperation between government authorities, local elders to safeguard our communities and uphold human dignity,” said Sheikh.

A recent survey released by the Horizon Analysts and Researchers Network (HARN) showed that the rate of deterrence, interception and foiling of potential terror attacks in Wajir, Lamu, Garissa and Mandera has significantly increased effectively reducing cases of terrorism in the volatile arid and semi-arid counties.

“The counties of Wajir, Mandera, Garissa and Lamu saw a staggering 60 per cent decline in attacks sarried out by Al-Shaaba. The surge in successful counterinsurgency activities corresponds to an unprecedented increase in collaboration between local communities and security agencies,” HARN stated.

HARN said there had been a 60 per cent reduction in attacks in the four countries. This, the organization said, had been made possible by a newfound camaraderie between locals and security agencies.

It also said that propaganda material, which is also shared to recruit young people into the militia group, has also decreased on both online and offline platforms.

The think-tank credit this success to the strengthened collaboration between local communities and security agencies.

“This partnership has enabled the timely sharing of critical intelligence, empowering security forces to deter, intercept, and foil potential terror attacks,” HARN noted.

How the State approached the incident

President Ruto, while speaking in Mandera town the following day, assured that “the five abducted Mandera chiefs will be brought back home safely.”

A month later, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo reiterated the President’s commitment, adding that he was not at liberty to discuss what was being done.

“There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes,” Omollo stated.

“There is a lot of work going on, some of which we may not discuss on air but maybe to understand how security then become everybody’s concern,” Omollo said during a breakfast interview at Spice FM.

He added: “These are chiefs who work for the government and the ministry responsible for securing the country and they have been taken by terrorists, or what we call Al-Shabaab, and this demonstrates that none of us is immune to some of these insecurity incidents.”

Omollo went on to say that as, President William Ruto promised, there is “an ongoing engagement with people from a neighbouring country where the chiefs were taken.” He said that these engagements will ensure they return safely and resume their duties.