Insecurity in the country can only be addressed through maximum collaboration between wananchi and the security apparatus, Wajir East MP Rashid Kassim has said.
Kassim said that the public has an even bigger role to play in the wake of intensified attacks by al Shabaab militants.
The MP spoke on Tuesday in the border towns of Konton, Qarsa and Khorof Harar during a security sensitisation meeting attended by police, religious leaders and elders.
“I want to make a humble request to members of the public to cooperate with the security forces and agencies in order to fight these militants who are out to kill our people and destabilise our country,” he said.
He said the leadership in the county will continue to denounce al Shabaab at all times.
“As residents of Wajir, we are patriotic and want to have peace and tranquillity because when there is insecurity, we bear the biggest brunt,” he said.
Kassim, whose constituency is among those most affected by terrorist attacks, thanked the government opening two temporary military camps in Qarsa and Konton locations.
He said the camps will tighten security in the border and reduce al Shabaab attacks in the county.
“We shall use all means at our disposal to restore security and bring back an environment in which residents and visitors can go about their daily routines without perpetual fear of terrorist attacks or other disruptions,” he said.
Though under constant surveillance, the vastness of the border has proved to be a challenge for security officers in fighting terrorism, with Lamu, Garissa and Wajir struck in the last three weeks.
On December 17 last year, four construction workers were abducted by an unknown number of suspected al Shabaab militants in Wel Garas. The victims were working on a road between Riba and Konton when they were taken.
Also in December, two special forces officers died and seven others were seriously injured after their vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device on the Kutulo-Khorof Kharar route in Wajir.
Northeastern regional commissioner Nicodemus Ndalana blamed locals for failure to report al Shabaab sightings to security officers for action to be taken.
He spoke to the press in his office after the Kamuthe terror attack in which three teachers who do not hail from the region were killed.
