The government has extended Marsabit County’s dusk-to-dawn curfew, which was imposed last month, for another 30 days.
In a Gazette notice dated May 31, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i stated that the region, which had seen a spike in inter-ethnic violence before the curfew was enforced, still faced a major threat to security and public order.
“With effect from June 1, 2022, and for a period of thirty days, this Order shall apply during the hours of darkness between six o’clock in the evening and six o’clock in the morning,” CS Matriang’i added.
He further noted that there shall be no public gatherings, processions, or movement, either alone or as a group during the period of the curfew.
The only exemption to be granted, Dr. Matiangi added, will be for gatherings permitted in writing by the Inspector General of Police, Hillary Mutyambai.
While describing the situation in Marsabit as a “matter of grave concern”, Dr. Matiang’i announced the curfew on May 2, running in tandem with a disarmament exercise targeting illegal guns and ammunition.
He also chastised political leaders for thwarting earlier attempts to bring peace to the area amid simmering tensions between the Borana and Gabra communities.
Rival organizations have been armed and transformed into competitive political militias, according to the CS, inflicting bloodshed on innocent bystanders in what has become one of the country’s most costly security concerns.
Security teams from the GSU, the Rapid Deployment Unit, the Quick Response Unit, and the Anti Stock Theft Unit, among others, have subsequently been deployed to the Sololo area, where Oromo Liberation Front militias are thought to be active.
