Friday, December 02, 2016
By STEPHEN ASTARIKO
A file photo of weapons seized following the arrest of a terror suspect.
The government has announced a major disarmament exercise in Northeastern ahead of next year's general election.
Regional coordinator Mohamud Saleh said a large number of illegal firearms were in the wrong hands in Mandera, Wajir and Garissa counties.
"As we approach the elections, the firearms can be misused. Any person found with an illegal firearm will be considered a member of al Shabaab and will suffer the consequences," said Saleh.
The terror group has been carrying out sporadic attacks in the three counties, in retaliation to the presence of Kenyan soldiers in Somalia where they are based.
The regional head said "necessary force" will be used in the operation if need be, and should response to the amnesty be unsatisfactory.
But he said those who surrender the weapons to chiefs, their assistants, county commissioners, police or any other security agencies will be pardoned.
Read: Step up disarmament in Northern Kenya
Saleh said most of the conflicts in Northeastern involve clans and were not political.
Inter-clan skirmishes often brought about by the need for pasture and water have claimed hundreds of lives in the three counties.
Saleh asked politicians not to incite members of the public against each other.
“We appeal to politicians to conduct the campaigns peacefully and ask for votes in a manner that will not incite any group against another,” he said.
Speaking separately, Garissa peace committee chairman Hassan Osman asked police to crack the whip on politicians whom he said were using artists to compose songs laced with hate speech.
He noted the songs could trigger clashes.