Siyu residents confront the balaclava-wearing
soldiers in Siyu Friday morning / BRIAN OTIENO
Siyu residents confront the balaclava-wearing
soldiers in Siyu Friday morning / BRIAN OTIENO
Shee Faruq displays marks from the beatings he got
from the balaclava-wearing soldiers in Siyu Friday morning / BRIAN OTIENO
Shee Faruq, one of the victims of the assault by
the balaclava-wearing soldiers in Siyu Friday morning / BRIAN OTIENONominated Senator Shakila Abdallah and human rights groups are demanding answers from security bosses after an operation in Siyu village on Pate Island, Lamu East, on Friday left 16 people hospitalised.
The operation, conducted in the early hours of Friday morning by armed men dressed in combat gear with their faces covered in balaclavas, lasted at least an hour.
Witnesses said the security agents accosted men returning from the mosque after fajr prayers, with some entering homes and questioning those found inside.
Those who could not give satisfactory answers were subjected to blows and kicks.
Nabil Mahmoud, a Form 4 student, was returning from the mosque when the security agents accosted him outside his house.
They forced him inside before questioning him as they beat him.
“He told them he was from praying in the mosque, but they kept asking him where his brother Faiz is. Nabil told them he does not know where he is. That is when the beatings started,” Amina Mbwana, a community policing member, told the Star by phone.
By the time Mbwana spoke to the Star at around 11.30am, Mahmoud was in hospital receiving treatment for minor injuries.
“What was the sin of this child? They did not catch him with drugs or anything illegal. Why did they beat him up? Was it justified for the security agents to beat him because he does not know where his brother is?” said Mbwana, who is also a member of the Lamu Court Users Committee, the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee and a mediator.
Senator Abdallah said she received a distress call at around 8am about “soldiers” who had covered their faces and raided Siyu village, assaulting residents.
“I was told they beat everyone, men, women, the elderly, everyone. They destroyed property and did not entertain any questions. They just went about beating people without explanation,” Abdallah told the Star by phone on Friday.
She said when she called for her car to pick her up from Faza, the vehicle carrying her staff was intercepted by the soldiers on the way.
“When they explained they were coming to pick me up, they climbed into their lorry and sped off,” the nominated senator said.
It remains unclear what the intention of the operation was, with local police bosses appearing to have been caught unawares.
Lamu East subcounty police commander William Ngombo on Sunday told the Star he could not comment on the matter because the area is a security zone with different security agencies operating there.
According to security agencies, Lamu, which hosts several security installations including the Kenya Navy Base in Manda Bay, is a strategic security hub that boosts Kenya’s counter-terrorism efforts and strengthens the country’s ability to secure its maritime domain.
This appeared to corroborate reports that the operation was conducted by an agency from Nairobi.
Senator Abdallah had earlier told the Star that she had been informed the operation was not carried out by local security agencies.
The senator said she asked local soldiers who had conducted the operation and was told they were from Nairobi and had only sought transport from the Mtangawanda security camp.
“Those who came to ask for transport were about 30 people. They did not want to be filmed or have their photos taken. They broke phones belonging to those who were taking photos of them. They also demanded my phone, but I refused to give it to them,” the senator said.
Muslims for Human Rights (Muhuri) director Khelef Khalifa said students were not spared during the operation.
He said such incidents had become almost normal for Lamu residents, who have endured similar suffering for a long time.
“To us, it is a surprise, but to Lamu people, they are not surprised. Such oppression has been going on for quite some time,” Khalifa said.
The veteran human rights activist said 16 people who were assaulted had been taken to hospital and documented by Muhuri.
He said the manner in which the soldiers conducted the operation resembled previous raids by Al Shabaab militants in Lamu.
“So, what is the difference between the security officers and the al Shabaab militants?” he posed.
He said Lamu residents now fear security agents more than al Shabaab militants.
Khalifa accused security agents in Lamu of acting with impunity and disregarding the law.
“If the security agents themselves cannot follow the law, how do you expect them to enforce the existing laws?” he posed.
He cited the failure to implement the temporary suspension of the Lamu curfew and night travel restrictions ordered by the Garsen High Court on Thursday last week.
Khalifa said there was something sinister happening in Lamu that security agencies knew but ordinary residents did not, and that it was not in the interests of the people.
Coast regional police boss Ali Nuno, speaking to Muhuri director Khalifa by phone, condemned the incident saying those involved would be dealt with.
Nuno said all those injured by the soldiers should fill out P3 forms and promised action on the matter.
The Lamu Youth Assembly described the incident as “barbaric, inhumane and unconstitutional acts of police brutality”.
The assembly’s Mohamed Skanda said they had identified 16 casualties following what he described as the reckless and excessive use of force by police officers against unarmed citizens.
“The police cannot arbitrarily unleash violence on innocent wananchi and expect silence from the people. This is lawlessness, abuse of power and a gross violation of human rights,” Skanda said.
The Lamu Youth Assembly demanded an immediate explanation from the police command over the incident.
“We call upon Independent Policing Oversight Authority to urgently launch independent investigations and ensure every officer involved is held personally and criminally accountable,” Skanda said.
The Lamu Youth Assembly said it would relentlessly pursue justice through all available legal and public avenues until every perpetrator is brought to book.
Siyu is an ancient Swahili settlement located on the northern coast of Pate Island within the Lamu Archipelago.
The village has about 600 households, with a population of about 2,000 people.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
The Siyu incident follows a major legal victory by Muhuri and local leaders, who successfully secured a Garsen High Court order suspending the long-standing night curfew across Lamu. Residents had endured restricted movement for more than a decade, while rights groups had recently been sensitising communities on how to interact with security agencies before the raid.
