Nkaissery extends Mandera curfew

The government has on Wednesday extended the dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed on Mandera County by three months in a bid to tame terrorism in the region.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery said the curfew order affects  Mandera Town, Omar Jillo, Arabia, Fino, Lafey Kotulo, Elwak and their environs extending to 20km from the Kenya-Somalia border.

The curfew comes into effect on Thursday, December 26 to March 28, 2017 and runs from 6:30pm to 6:30am every day.

“Every person who resides within the Sub-County shall except under, and in accordance with the terms and conditions of a written permit granted by the respective Deputy County Commissioner for the affected areas, remain indoors in the premises at which they reside or at such other premises as may be authorized,” said the order issued by the Interior CS Nkaissery.

The first curfew was imposed in October this year after Al-Shabaab gunmen killed 12 people at the Bishaaro Hotel in Mandera Town.

Ten of the 12 people who were killed were visiting the region for set-book performances at schools in the region to prepare candidates for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exams.

Northeastern leaders condemned the attack, accusing the Al-Shabaab gunmen of waging warfare meant to isolate the region economically.