PM assures Somalis over crackdown

Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Tuesday assured members of the Somali community in Kenya that the government is not targeting them in the current crackdown on illegal immigrants.

He also assured them that all those engaged in legitimate businesses will be protected by the law and should be free to lodge complaints whenever they feel their rights as citizens or legal immigrants are being violated.

At the same time, the PM asked the US to help mobilise support for the transitional authority in Somalia.

At a separate meeting with US assistant secretary of defence for International Security, Mr Alexander Vershbow, the PM said a stable Somalia is the best cure for terrorism and piracy in the region.

The PM said Kenya will continue to play its role in Somalia and Sudan, but expressed concern that the international community has not accorded the Somalia crisis the attention it deserves.

Mr Vershbow, who paid a courtesy call on the PM, said he was in Kenya to get a better understanding of the situation in Somalia and Sudan. He also delivered President Barack Obama’s promise of support for the reforms in Kenya. (PMPS)