The Bajun Community in Lamu has issued a seven-day ultimatum for the county Woman Representative Monica Marubu to apologise to residents for what they termed as incitement statements regarding terror attacks.
This is after Marubu said during President William Ruto’s visit in Lamu last week that the attacks were not by al Shabaab but a gang hired by ranch owners to terrorise non-locals.
The MP had said the ongoing attacks were targeting specific people and told the President to address the land issue to bring an end the attacks.
However, the Bajunis through the Bajun Community Initiative led by Sultan Omar Sharif who is head of all Bajunis in Kenya and the world, said the statements were meant to incite people against certain communities which was wrong.
Addressing a press conference in Malindi attended by elders from the community, Shariff condemned the statements by Marubu and asked her to ensure she apologises by Saturday next week.
He said Marubu was wrong to say those staging attacks are sent by Lamu ranch owners and that she knows the names of those behind the attacks.
Sharif said the legislator should produce evidence within seven days to prove that those who are staging the attacks are not al Shabaab.
Already he said, they will begin a process of a vote of no confidence against the legislator, for failing to execute her mandate as an elected leader.
“From Monday, papers will be spread from Witu to Kiunga so that people write their names, ID numbers and voters’ cards to begin the process of vote of no confidence against her,” he said.
The Sultan of Bajun said they have no confidence in the Woman Rep and vowed to make sure she is kicked out of office.
He called on the Bajun community to unite now to ensure in 2027 they field one candidate for each elective position to avoid the loss witnessed in 2022.
“We will have one governor candidate, one senator candidate, One Woman Rep and one MP candidate for Lamu West. We shall also make sure all the 10 MCA seats are going to the Bajun Community,” he said.
Mohamed Mbwana, a Bajun elder, said the community has been in existence for over 2000 years, but has suffered a lot of historical injustices since independence in 1963.
“Action must be taken to ensure Bajunis get justice because it is in 1964 when they were forced out of Lamu in what was then the Shifta war, despite the fact that they were natives together with the Orma, Sante, Koreni, and Somali communities,” he said.
Mbwana said on July 14, 1964, the Bjunis became IDPs and to date, they live in other people’s areas while the Kikuyus were brought to Lamu in 1971 from Tanzania.
Mohamed Bahero a youth representative of the Bajun Welfare Initiative said they are not focusing on the utterances by the MP but the larger historical injustices done against the Bajuni community since independence.
He said as a community, they have no problem with anyone but they are fighting to get justice to end the historical injustices.
“We are home and our resources must be preserved for us as a community,” he said.
Famau Mohamed a Bajun elder living in Malindi, said the statements by Marubu have raised hatred and tension among people living in Lamu.
She said if she was really a good leader, she would not have defended her community only as she was elected to lead all communities living in Lamu.
“She has employed staff from only one community in her office instead of giving an opportunity to all communities living in Lamu. She showed us that she is tribal, her utterances during the President's function was a shame,” she said.
