• Lamu county commissioner says border area unsafe.
• Ban will also help stop illegal cross-border trade like human and narcotics trafficking.
Fishermen from Lamu and the entire Coast region have been barred from conducting their activities near the Kenya-Somalia border due to insecurity.
Lamu county commissioner Joseph Kanyiri on Monday said popular fishing hubs like Ras Kiamboni and Kiunga are now out of bounds.
Any trespassing on the areas will result in arrest and prosecution for breach of security measures.
Affected fishermen have been advised to find other safer fishing areas.
“The Indian Ocean is vast and so people need to move as far away from the border as possible. We are still reviewing the situation and shall inform the public when we feel it’s safer but not now,” Kanyiri said.
Lamu has been prone to al Shabaab terror attacks that have left many civilians and security officers dead.
The militants are known to use the porous Lamu–Somalia border to cross into the country either directly or under disguise.
Kanyiri said the ban would also help stop illegal cross-border trade like human and narcotics trafficking and trade in contraband goods in areas close to or around the border.
Security agencies have kept the border area under increased surveillance and loitering there is now a criminal offence.
Night fishing ban remains lifted but should not take place anywhere close to the border.
A prolonged night fishing ban that was imposed in 2011 and lasted close to ten years almost brought the fishing sector in Lamu to its knees.
The ban had been imposed following a spate of terror attacks in the region that saw several tourists and fishermen kidnapped and taken hostage by suspected al Shabaab militants.
The ban affected Lamu East especially on areas close to the Lamu-Somalia border like Kiunga, Ishakani, Madina, Kiwayu, Mkokoni and neighbouring areas all of which are huge fishing hubs.
It was however lifted earlier this year by Interior CS Fred Matiang’i.
(Edited by O. Owino)