LSK issues 14-day ultimatum on Lamu curfew

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) on Thursday gave Inspector-General of Police David Kimaiyo 14 days to lift the curfew imposed in Lamu County or it will sue to challenge it.

LSK chairman Eric Mutua told a press conference that the curfew had undermined the livelihood of Lamu residents, who depend on fishing and tourism.

“We are giving the inspector-general of police fourteen days to lift the curfew failure to which we will file a suit in court to have it lifted,” Mr Mutua said.

EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS

He said a fact-finding team of lawyers had unearthed several cases of extrajudicial killings and torture by security forces deployed to the area to crack down on a militia suspected of being behind the spate of insecurity in the county that claimed the lives of over ninety people.

“Our team visited Mpeketoni, Witu and Pandanguo and interviewed victims of torture at the hands of our security forces. It also interviewed relatives of those who lost their lives at the hands of the security forces,” said Mr Mutua.

He stated that the committee, which was led by LSK council member Jenipher Shamalla, established that the security officers who were deployed to the county committed extrajudicial killings and gross violation of human rights.

AL SHABAAB

Mr Kimaiyo imposed the dusk-to-dawn curfew in the county on July 20 following the wave of killings blamed on suspected Al-Shabaab militants.

The order came shortly after an earlier directive that banned night travel for public service vehicles and private cars on the Garsen-Lamu highway.

Coast Regional Coordinator Samuel Kilele had warned that no vehicle would be allowed to operate on the route past 6pm.

The highway runs along the vast Boni Forest, where the militias were believed to be hiding.

The curfew has since been extended, with Mr Kimaiyo saying it had gone a long way in restoring security in the county.