Lamu County Women Representative Shakilla Abdalla at a past event. [Photo/ nation.co.ke]
Lamu Women Representative Shakilla Abdalla has accused security personnel in the county of infringing on the rights of residents.
Abdalla claimed that police officers in the county have been targeting specific groups in the fight against terrorism.She accused the officers of imposing curfews even in areas not listed as terror hotspots.The MP claimed that security officers have been harassing residents in the name of fighting suspected Al-Shabaab militants, a move which she said is against the law.“Areas where the curfew was imposed are known .However, residents of Mokowe, Ndambwe, Mkunumbi, Witu and other parts of Lamu are also being forced to stay indoors during curfew time,” said Abdalla, as quoted by Baraka FM.“Sometimes these officers descend on homesteads asking the owners to produce the Al-Shabaab militants, failure to which they are thoroughly harassed and embarrassed. I have already reported this issue of our rights being infringed upon to the police and military,” she added.Lamu County Commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo has, however maintained that the curfew will not prevent residents from voting on Election Day.