Gov’t to construct six roads around Boni Forest after terrorist attacks increase

Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof. Kithure Kindiki says the government will open up six roads around Boni Forest to step up the war against suspected militants.

Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Administration and Internal Security on Thursday, the CS said the government will also closely monitor locals around the forest accusing a section of them of aiding and abetting terrorism.

This as the security situation in Lamu County, especially along the Lamu - Witu - Garsen road continues to be fluid with terror attacks seemingly on the rise in the recent past.

The latest being Thursday where suspected militants attempted to ambush around 300 IDPs taking shelter in Juhudi Primary School; security personnel manning the camp however repulsed the attackers.

“We are going to open up six security roads in Lamu immediately,” Kindiki told the MPs.

The roads are expected to ease mobility of security personnel who are also expected to set up camps in different locations within the vast Boni Forest.

The CS also stated that the government will set prohibited zones within Boni Forest to lock encroachers out even as he cracks down on Al-Shabaab sympathizers.

“Even right now, there are people pretending to be in the forest for agricultural reasons but we have discovered that they are aiding and abetting terrorism as they take advantage of historical land injustices,” added the CS.

Incidents of attacks by militants in the Coastal county have been on the rise in recent weeks. On Tuesday, a lorry driver and his co-driver were killed following an ambush by suspected militants near the Lango la Simba area on the Lamu – Witu - Garsen road.

Officials said the vehicle was waylaid by heavily armed militants early in the morning.

The Interior CS said the joint operation going on in the North Rift has significantly silenced the bandits' guns, saying that more than 200 firearms were voluntarily surrendered to the security forces.

“When we flushed them out of the hideouts they resettled with the community, we have information that they are regrouping to go back to the hideouts but we will repulse them,” he stated.

Kindiki said phase 2 of the operation is expected to kick off in September, and entails the rebuilding of amenities including schools roads and security operation bases.