Lamu police reservists to get modern guns to fight Shabaab
A police reservist in Pandanguo, Lamu County. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- William Mwangi, a KPR in Lamu lauded the government for their decision to equip them with modern guns saying the move will boost their morale.
- In 2015, over 60 KPR officers in Lamu quit their jobs citing poor working conditions and lack of salaries.
The government will equip Kenya Police Reservists (KPR) in Lamu with modern guns to fight Al-Shabaab.
According to county commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo, 200 KPR officers have been recruited and are undergoing training before deployed to terror prone areas in the county.
Speaking to Nation in Lamu, Mr Kitiyo said the move is to ensure locals and property are protected.
Mr Kitiyo said the officers will be deployed in Witu, Maleli, Katsaka Kairu, Pandanguo, Mpeketoni, Hindi, Bar’goni, Basuba, Kiunga, Ishakani and all areas bordering the Boni forest where the Boni Enclave Campaign aimed at flushing out Al-Shabaab militants is ongoing.
The move to equip the Lamu KPRs with modern guns comes at a time when a section of the reservists have been complaining of the poor weapons they have been using which makes it hard for them to fully commit to their call.
OUTDATED WEAPONS
Officers who spoke to Nation accused the government of taking too long to equip them with modern weapons, something that has made them afraid of being subdued by attackers, especially the Al-Shabaab who are using more sophisticated weaponry in attacks in the county.
They said the guns given to them by the government "are too old fashioned to be used in a modern war zone".
The officer said the guns which have fondly been nicknamed ‘Ngoja Kidogo' (wait a little bit) due to the complexity and slowness in operation, are not very effective especially during attacks since they take too long to be set.
William Mwangi, a KPR in Lamu lauded the government for their decision to equip them with modern guns saying the move will boost their morale.
“We are happy that at last we will be equipped with the modern guns. We are tired of these old-schooled guns which can’t function as required during attacks. You fire one bullet and have to wait for five minutes before you are able to load and fire another one. We need the modern ones,” said Mr Mwangi.
In 2016, the national government also deployed over 500 KPR officers to the Linda Boni Security Operation areas in Lamu, Tana River and Garissa.
In 2015, over 60 KPR officers in Lamu quit their jobs citing poor working conditions and lack of salaries.
