President Uhuru Kenyatta has said the government will beef up security in Mpeketoni, the scene of a deadly Al Shabaab attack in June 2014, to prevent a repeat of the same in the future.
He however urged residents to cooperate with security agencies in the township, which is located in Lamu County if they are to win the war against terrorism.
In June 2014, armed men suspected to be Al Shabaab descended on Mpeketoni in the wee hours of the morning, killing over 70 people, majority of them men.
Majority of those killed had migrated to Lamu County from upcountry many years ago in search of opportunity.
“I know that majority of Lamu residents are peace loving people. Let us work together to ensure that the security that we have enjoyed for years is not undermined by a few evil minded people,” the President said on the day that he also issued over 2,000 title deeds to residents of the county.Lamu has been a scene of multiple deadly attacks by the Al Shabaab. In another fairly recent case in June 2015, a group of armed Al Shabaab fighters invaded an army barracks. The ensuing fight left in its wake 11 dead Al Shabaab fighters one of who was a British national. Two soldiers died in the 5 am attack on the camp.
Many residents of Lamu County have for along felt marginalised by the national government. They have blamed the previous administrations for the squatter problem in the county, a phenomenon that faces majority of the people at Kenya’s coast region.
On Thursday, January 7, 2016, the President issued 2,004 title deeds to land owners in the county at the beginning of his two day visit to the region. He will issue another 2,069 title deeds to residents of Swahili villages in the islands of Ndau, Myabogi, Mbwajumwali and Kizingitini on Friday, January 8, 2016.
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