Matiang’i Issues 48-Hour Ultimatum To Illegal Firearm Holders

The Ministry of Interior has issued a final 48-hour ultimatum to illegal firearms holders to forfeit their weapons.

This follows a meeting by Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i with Marsabit leaders on the recent killings witnessed in the region that left 10 people killed in bandit attacks.

On Tuesday night, November 6, 2019, 10 people including two police officers were killed in fresh bandit attacks in Jaldesa, Marsabit County.

Reports indicated that the three people were killed when bandits ambushed a vehicle they were traveling in while the seven others were killed in a retaliatory attack, with the police officers said to have been on patrol during the incident.

Read: Two Police Officers Among Three Arrested In Connection With Ksh6 Million Eastleigh Robbery

Matiang’i ordered the locals in possession of the firearms to submit them to the government within 48 hours or face dire consequences.

The orders were echoed by the Marsabit leaders led by Governor Mohamud Mohamed who stated that about 800 animals were stolen during the attack, with several people attacked and living in fear.

CS Dr. Fred Matiangi Met all Marsabit leaders this morning & warned that govt will no longer tolerate violence occasioned by political rivalry & competition in the county. He also demanded for the immediate surrender of all illegal firearms to police within the next 48 hours. pic.twitter.com/qVy3Y6seM5

— Ministry of Interior | Kenya (@InteriorKE) November 8, 2019

“We cannot keep crying every day, we cannot keep burying people months after months. An eye for an eye is an old mentality,” said the Governor.

Read Also: Five Killed, Several Injured After Attack By Suspected Ethiopian Militia In Marsabit

On Thursday, two days after the incident the Government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna assured the residents of Marsabit that action would be taken against the attackers adding that their safety was guaranteed as more security officers had been dispatched to the region to enhance their protection.

“As a government we are concerned about such incidents, as we speak a team has been dispatched to determine status of the attack,” said Oguna.

The recent killings detail intense clan wrangles within the borders of Kenya and Ethiopia.

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