With your sons at the helm, help make Northeastern safer

Garissa Deputy Governor Abdi Dagane now says residents of the Northeastern region have every reason to stand up for the security of the country considering most of the people at the helm of the country's security are from the region.

He said gone are the days when the residents felt marginalised by successive governments because now, they are part and parcel of the Kenya Kwanza administration.

While speaking at a Garissa hotel during the launch of the Garissa County Action Plan, Dagane said matters security is a collective responsibility that requires everyone's participation.

"As residents of Northeastern have for a long time complained of marginalisation in key appointments and development, this is  now a thing of the past. Most of the top positions in the security sector are held by people from this region. So more than any other time, we are expected to stand up with the security of this region and the country at large," he said.

"So my appeal to everyone from this region is that we join hands and support our sons and daughters to deliver for the country. If we collectively and genuinely decided to fight this menace called al Shabaab, then I'm sure they will succeed in their assignments." 

Those who hold key positions and hail from Northeastern  in the Secretary Aden Duale, Noor Gabow (Deputy IG) Mohamed Amin (CID boss) and Mohamed Saleh (CAS Interior).

Noordin Haji who was also vetted last week for the position of Director General of the NIS is awaiting approval by Parliament and subsequent appointment by the President.

The region has since 2011 bore the brunt of al Shabaab attacks that have claimed the lives of hundreds of people including security officers.

This has led to the government pumping billions of shillings in counter terrorism initiatives in a bid to arrest the situation.

However, the attacks have continued to occur in the three counties of Garissa, Mandera and Wajir which lie on the border with Somalia. 

Dagane said the in recent times, Garissa county, like many other regions, has borne the brunt of violent extremism.

This, he noted, does not only threaten the peace and stability of communities but it also shatters the very social fabric that binds people together.

The DG said that all effort should be geared towards preventing the incidences from occurring and called on both the security apparatus, residents and other actors to work together.

"By focusing on prevention, we seek to address the root causes of violent extremism, be it socio-economic deprivation, political marginalisation, or ideological manipulation,” he said.

"Countering extremism cannot be the responsibility of law enforcement agencies alone. It requires a multi-faceted, community-driven approach where every individual plays a role in building resilience against violent ideologies,” Dagane said.