Lamu County Commissioner Joseph Kanyiri during a past media briefing in his office. [Photo/barakam.org]
Lamu County Commissioner Joseph Kanyiri has cautioned politicians in the region against hiring goons under the guise of security men during their campaigns.Kanyiri said the trend where politicians move about with groups of youth wearing branded T-shirts written on ‘security’ should stop.He said his office will closely monitor such politicians to ensure they uphold the law, and his officers will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute those found culpable.“Their main defense is that the youth are security and mostly, you will see them wearing T-shirts written on ‘security’ when in fact, they are just hooligans hired to cause trouble in an otherwise peaceful gathering. We are watching them,” said Kanyiri as quoted by Baraka FM.He asked individuals who need security to liaise with his office instead of hiring goons just to intimidate their opponents and cause chaos especially during political rallies.Kanyiri also asked politicians to notify the police of any planned rallies to enable them to arrange for security.The county police boss further urged residents to maintain peace and unity during this electioneering period and shun politicians who want to cause divisions among them.“Party primaries are coming up and we can feel some heat across the country but here in Lamu, we expect both politicians and residents to observe the rule of law,” he said.The commissioner, who spoke in his office on Wednesday, vowed to use as an example individuals who will disrupt peace in the county.His remarks come even as political parties ready for nominations to choose their candidates for the forthcoming August 8 general election.