Wajir residents decry night “curfew”

There is a growing discomfort in Wajir town over a large number of armed security men in the town since the attack on a nightclub early December.

An Administartion police officer in Banane last night shot and wounded a student in Banane area of Garissa County.

BY: Abdikadir Okah

At 7 in the evening, there is hardly anyone walking on the major roads and streets in the town because residents fear the wrath of a contingent of security officers that have since imposed a “curfew” on the town.
“We can’t even move around leave alone going to Mosque for Isha (evening) prayers,” says Ahmed Dugane Ali, a madarasa teacher at a Tahfeeth school in Waberi area. He said the operation was like a chokehold on the town.
After an attack that left at least one person killed and 13 others injured, the county security chiefs commissioned a spontaneous night curfew that is set mark a month-long 1st January.
Residents have been complaining of mistreatment by the security men, particularly the Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF).
In a Facebook Post, Abdirahman Mus’ab, a Wajir resident wrote: “I wonder why the KDF have to ask for IDs atop a kifaru (an armoured personal carrier)?
Hassan AbdiAziz, a shopkeeper along Isiolo-Mandera  road said he was terrorised by the forces a week ago while at his shop “They shouted and ordered me to close the shop because I was open for business after evening prayer,” he said.
Salah Abdi Sheikh, a social activist said he was dismayed by the virtual lockdown of the town, saying the curfew was taking a toll on the economy of the county. He added that the presence of police on the road was a good security gesture, but decried the overwhelming boots on the grounds.
“There are more robberies with violence, mugging and murders in Nairobi, Nakuru and Nyeri than Wajir, Yet Wajir is under virtual lockdown, no movement after 7pm,” he said.
He continued: “Yes, we appreciate the presence of Police on the streets but we do not think closing down the town is a security measure. It is restrictive and creates unnecessary fear.”
He said the curfew is a self defeating tactic that was playing to the advantage of the terrorist and other criminal gangs in the town.
“The government must not succumb to fear of a few criminals and impose a curfew on the town. Let the business be as usual as possible,” he offered.
But Abdullahu Luhus, a carpenter at Afgoye, said he supports the move by the government to bring more boots on the ground. “How best do you maintain peace in a volatile town like Wajir if not large presence of security men?” he asked. He further observed that peace would prevail in matter of days if the operation is extended.
When contacted for comment, both the county commissioner and the county police boss could not be reached, perhaps due to the holiday season.