The men involved in defilement and rape cases in Mandera have been put on notice, county commissioner Fredrick Shisia has warned.
Shisia was speaking to the press in his office on Thursday after concerns were raised over increasing number of defilement and rape cases. He called on elders, religious leaders and woman representatives to hold forums to sensitise residents against the vice.
“It is only the community which can reverse the trend as security agents cannot be in every part of the county,” Shisia said.
Five rape and defilement cases have been reported for the past one month. The latest incident took place in Lafey subcounty where two men allegedly raped a 20-year-old woman and killed her using machetes.
It is alleged Mohamed Adan, 30, and Ahmed Isaack, 40, raped the woman while grazing goats.
The county commissioner attributed the rising cases of the crime to drug abuse.
He asked residents to report defilement and rape cases to police in time for quick collection of evidence.
Meanwhile, Shisia warned al Shabaab sympathisers living in Sheikh Baruk, Bahawa and Komor, saying supporting the group's activities will derail development of the county that borders Somalia.
He said residents should instead work with the government to bring stability where hundreds people have lost their lives to acts of terror.
“We closed the Mandera-Lafey-Wajir road over insecurity because al Shabaab used to attack passengers plying the route," Shisia said.
In June, armed men suspected to be al Shabaab militants ambushed two police vehicles heading to Arabia from Mandera town. Five Kenyan policemen escorting a passenger bus were killed after
the attackers planted
Improvised Explosive Devices on the dry weather road.
Shisia said the closure of the road has hampered movement of people and patients going to hospitals are the hardest hit. He, however, said the government will open the road soon and more police posts will be built along the route. The commissioner said the measures taken by the government have reduced cases of terrorism.
“We have already put up a General Service Unit camp at Borehole 11 and more will be erected," Shisia said.