Government extends curfew in Marsabit

The government has once again extended the curfew in Marsabit County that was instituted on May 2 by another 45 days starting July 1, 2022.

A gazette notice released on June 30 by the Interior Ministry says that given the serious threats posed to security and public order by disturbances occurring in the county state saw it was prudent to extend the curfew.

“The order shall apply during the hours of darkness between  6 o'clock in the evening and 6 o'clock in the morning with effect from July 1, 2022, and shall remain in effect for a period of forty-five (45) days with the exception of August 8th and 9th,” Dr. Fred Matiangi noted.

The directive will apply to the entire Marsabit County.

The directive also forbade public gatherings, processions, or movements, either by individuals or groups during the curfew except as permitted in writing by the Inspector of General of the National Police.

The directives come barely a week after police officers in Marsabit were exhorted to foster good public relations during the enforcement of the curfew.

Speaking to journalists at his office during a conciliatory meeting, Marsabit county commissioner Paul Rotich exhorted police officers to create good public relations with the media and public in general in a bid to regain their confidence and support in law enforcement.

“We urge all the police officers to foster good public relations at all costs and especially with the media as they both play crucial roles in peace-building in this county,” Mr Rotich said.

Mr Rotich urged the media and public not to condemn or give room for bad blood between them and the security officers for the mistakes committed by a few rogue officers.

He commended the general reciprocal relationships and cooperation that had existed between the media and security agencies in Marsabit county, especially during security operations and law enforcement processes.

He commended the media for readily agreeing to be used as the conduit of information between the security agencies and the public.

He also hailed the police officers who work in Marsabit county for their resilience and hard work amid all sorts of vicissitudes in the volatile region riddled with inter-ethnic conflicts.

He assured both groups that the government would do anything to institute confidence-building mechanisms and professional journalistic processes and dialogue between the two groups.

Such efforts were aimed at engendering greater understanding and elimination of mistrust and mutual suspicion that has always existed between the media and police officers.

The county commissioner asserted that there was a great need for the media and security agencies to recognize each other’s roles and enable the conditions for the optimal performance of those roles.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Marsabit county police commander Robinson Mboloi who defended the police service from blanket condemnation when a few of them were found errant.

He noted that even though police officers were working under stressful circumstances in the county but that did not guarantee any of them to act against the law and warned those found culpable would also face the law like any other civilian offender.

He urged journalists to always operate within the lawful parameters by doing what was right at the right time,  readily identifying themselves through the aid of work badges or media council identification cards in case they walked or drove home late during the curfew hours.

Mr Mboloi also wanted the essential services providers such as the medics who were also exempted from the ongoing curfew in Marsabit to be treated with respect.

Marsabit County Information Officer Sebastian Miriti who spoke on behalf of the journalists also assured the security agencies of their continued support and cooperation.

He held that both the media and security agencies by default had symbiotic relationships and ought not to allow any bad blood between them

Mr Miriti said that the media and security forces are both essential for peacebuilding and ensuring peace and security, perhaps even more so during electoral periods and in post-conflict or transitional environments.

“It is common knowledge that journalists have always embedded themselves with the security officers when covering stories in conflict hotspots while security organs do also rely on the media as the conduit for crucial information during emergencies. So, there is no need for the two groups to hate each other,” Mr Miriti said.

The meeting came against the backdrop of alleged arbitrary arrests of two journalists operating in the county while they were on their way home from work at around 6.30pm on Monday by the police officers who were enforcing a curfew in the town.

All the attempts of the journalists to identify themselves were met with hostility a factor that saw their colleagues act in solidarity by airing their grievances to the authorities.

The police officers were also blamed for arresting a senior medical practitioner and county officer who was driving to the hospital from town even though he was well-known to them.

For decades, journalists and police officers have viewed each other with suspicion and oftentimes, as a nemesis.

The media tend to regard security agencies as over-stating their importance and interest in enforcing public order and protecting national security.

Many in the media sector believe that the concern expressed by security agencies over these issues are mere excuses to justify their tendency to violate the rights of citizens and the media.

On the flip side, the security agencies largely perceive media practitioners as reckless and irresponsible, with no regard for the security of any nation.

Even though there have been pervasive incidents of corruption, abuse of power, and other forms of misconduct in the security sector, security agencies remain impatient with and intolerant of the notion that the media must hold them accountable.

Friction between the journalists and security agencies has become a regular feature in Kenya and even Africa in general, with media practitioners being deliberately targeted in many cases for their perceived distortion.

There have also been instances when journalists ordinarily resorted to the security officers for protection against attacks by the public or criminals only to find out that even the law enforcement agents were also complicit in the attacks on journalists.