Garissa Woman Representative Shukran Gure and Dadaab MP during the graduation ceremony at Najah Madrassa in Garissa on Saturday May 16, 2015. Leaders from the county have vowed to petition Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery over the current curfew in four counties.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
MPs from Garissa have said they will petition Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery over the curfew imposed on four counties.
They have said the curfew is a violation of the constitutional rights of the residents from the area and will therefore present their petition when Parliament resumes in June.
They said the curfew order was meant to intimidate and punish the people from the region and to divert attention from government’s failure to address insecurity in the country.
Speaking on Saturday during the graduation ceremony of Islamic students at Najah Madrassa, they said the curfew imposed on the four counties of Mandera, Wajir, Garissa and Tana River is illegal and against the Constitution of Kenya since it has restricted the freedom of movement, association and worship.
The leaders were angered by the extension of the curfew by the Interior Cabinet Secretary from May 16 to June 16, 2015.
Garissa County woman representative Shukran Gure said she will table a petition in the National Assembly against CS Nkaissery when the House resumes from recess challenging his "illegal" orders.
"People of the region are denied their constitutional rights to go to the mosque for night and early morning prayers.
“People are denied their inherent rights to make a living at night by (not) operating their businesses.
“They are denied their fundamental rights to have social gatherings at night and as leaders we can't allow the rights of people to be abused by their own government," she said.
Mrs Gure said the curfew order has been abused by security officers whom she said are harassing, intimidating and extorting members of the public going about their normal businesses at night under the pretext of maintaining security.
This, she said, is retrogressive and will only make people get more alienated.
"When the Parliament resumes on June 8 I will table a petition to censure the Interior Cabinet Secretary for unconstitutionally making the residents of Garissa suffer, denied the right to worship and go about their other engagements," she said amid cheers from the crowd.
"We are ready to support the government in fighting terrorism and other criminal elements hurting our country but we will demand our rights as Kenyans.
“Accessing health facilities for the sick people and women in labour has becoming a nightmare during the curfew hours," she added.
ENHANCE BORDER SECURITY
The leaders at the same reiterated their undivided support and commitment to assist the National Government in fighting terrorism, adding that the government needs to enhance security along the Kenya-Somalia border and other areas prone to inter-communal.
Lagdera MP Mohamed Shidiye faulted the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) for what he called usurping the roles of the Kenya Police of conducting patrols within towns and in the process harassing innocent civilians through beatings.
"The work of the military is to stay at the border and defend the country from external aggressors.
“They should leave to the police officers the work of manning roads since the police have the knowledge of dealing with civilians," Mr Shidiye said.
He also called on the government to assist Somalia in the fight against terrorism adding that Kenya should increase its presence there and have their embassy inside Somalia rather than having it in Nairobi.
Dadaab MP Mohamed Dahiye appealed to the county government to assist in erecting permanent fences in all learning institutions that can be easy targets of Al-Shabaab to avoid the recurrence of the killing of students like what happened at Garissa University College on April 2, 2015.
"Kenya Medical Training College which was closed down recently over security concerns doesn't have a fence. This makes them very vulnerable to attacks.
"I would therefore appeal to the county government to consider putting fences in all institutions while the National Government should provide enough security officers to protect the students from terror attacks," he added.
The function was also attended by Governor Nathif Jama, acting County Commissioner James Kianda and several members of the county assembly.