Monday, November 12, 2012
BY STEPHEN ASTARIKO
The government has been given a week to remove Somalia TFG soldiers from the Garissa Provincial General Hospital. Giving the ultimatum, community leaders and clerics in Garissa said they pose a major security threat.
Dujis MP Aden Duale supported the resolution by the leaders at a meeting at a local hotel at the weekend. He asked the government to remove the 80 soldiers being admitted at the hospital, saying the facility is unguarded, exposing patients to attacks.
The MP said the soldiers have occupied many of the bed spaces hence denying area residents spaces in the in patient department. Duale took issue with the state of insecurity in Garissa where police and civilians have been executed by criminals in worshiping places saying that area security agents have been over powered by criminals.
He said in spite of security resolutions reached at a meeting held in Garissa after the July AIC church attack where some 20 people lost their lives with several left with injuries, nothing has been done including increasing the number of police stations in the area.
The MP blamed area security chiefs for placing a semi curfew where residents are forced to retreat to houses before 6.00 PM saying that the government had the responsibility of guarding life and property at whichever hour of the day.
“Is Garissa becoming another Mogadishu where people are forced to retire to bed early?” wondered the MP. He added: The governmnt should quickly take the injured TFG soldiers to forces memorial if at all they must be treated in the country,".
He said the community leaders had written a memorandum on peace initiative for Garissa and will present it to President Mwai Kibaki next week. The meeting comes barely a week after a worshipper was shot twice in the stomach escaping death narrowly.
Efforts by the star to reach hospital's management on the matter were unsuccessful as they refused to comment,.they could also not allow pictures of the injured TFG soldiers to be taken.