Lamu County Commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo during a past media briefing. [Photo/ the-star.co.ke]
Lamu County Commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo has said the government has intensified the fight against al-Shabaab militants in Lamu.Kitiyo said the government will equip Kenya Police Reservists (KPR) in the county with modern guns to fight the terrorists.He further said that 200 KPR officers are undergoing training and will soon be deployed to the most affected areas.Speaking during an interview with the Nation, the county commissioner said the State is committed to protecting the lives and property of residents.Police reservists have in the past raised concern over the poor weapons they have been provided with.They argued the old guns prevent them from carrying out their duties effectively due to fear of not being able to defend themselves when attacked by al-Shabaab who use modern weapons.William Mwangi, a KPR officer, has lauded the government for equipping them with the new weapons, saying they will be more effective in the fight against terrorism as the guns take a shorter time to set compared to the old ones.“We are happy that at last we will be equipped with the modern guns. We are tired of these old-schooled guns which can’t function as required during attacks. You fire one bullet and have to wait for five minutes before you are able to load and fire another one. We need the modern ones,” said Mwangi, as quoted by the local daily.