Govt Takes on Governor Over Controversial Remarks on Al Shabaab

Mandera Governor Ali Roba is on the spot over alleged reports he made regarding the grip of Al Shabaab militia on Kenya’s North Eastern region.While addressing the public on January 8, 2021, the governor allegedly said that the Al Shabaab militia has control of about 70 percent of Mandera county. He accused families in the region of harbouring the militia.Mandera County Commissioner Onesmus Kyatha while addressing the media on Tuesday, January 12, disputed Governor Roba’s claims stating that the police will engage the governor about the comments.    Mandera County Commissioner Onesmus Kyatha speaking during a past holiday celebrationFile Kyatha reiterated that police officers and security personnel in the region had been deployed across various parts of the county to tame attacks by the terrorist group.”If you talk about 70 percent of the county being overrun by Al Shabaab, that is not factual. We only have isolated cases of attacks.”You know how these bandits operate. They are unpredictable, they behave like gorillas playing hide and seek. They cannot control 70 percent of the county,” Kyatha stated.”We have officers across the county, including security personnel. You cannot say 70 percent of the county is controlled by bandits. That is not factual. We will engage him in order to get to the bottom of those statistics,” he assured.Kyatha stated that the police had ensured security in the region by escorting public transport buses.He assured that the government was determined to root out the terror group from the county highlighting that functions in the county were running smoothly. The police boss reiterated that the county was only experiencing isolated cases of attacks, arguing that it was not enough basis for Governor Roba to make the assumption.Kyatha appealed to members of the public to help the government combat bandits in the region by alerting security officers.”What we are calling for is members of the public to support us. Some of these criminals causing this mayhem are our sons. They are being supported by some members of the public. They spend their nights in those homes, being supplied with food by those people.”Al Shabaab is a global phenomenon and the government is determined to root them out from Mandera,” Kyatha pronounced.Security concerns in the region have heightened following a series of attacks in the county over the recent weeks. Wreckage of a vehicle that was bombed in Lafey, Mandera County, on March 13, 2015.File