Kimaiyo defiant over curfew as clerics chant 'Dua Al Badr' prayer

LAMU COUNTY: Frustrated residents ended their two-day protests against a three-month curfew that has crippled activities on the island by invoking an ancient Islamic curse against the Government.

As Muslim clerics led the prayers in Lamu town, a defiant Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo ruled out any possibility of lifting the dusk-to-dawn curfew

Residents, who consider the curfew a form of siege or punishment, had vowed to shut the island down for weeks through the Okoa Lamu initiative spearheaded by rights groups.

They said the curfew had crippled the fishing, tourism and hotel industries, which are the island's economic mainstay.

But the Government has said the restriction cannot be lifted, even partially, due to security reasons following the mid-June massacre of over 60 people in Mpeketoni and other parts of the county.

INVOKED CURSE

Before calling off their protests, Muslim clerics and organisers of the Wanaharakati Okoa Lamu initiative conducted a special Islamic prayer at Lamu's Riadha Mosque, usually recited against oppressors of the community.

The prayer, known as 'Dua Al Badr', is a supplication in which Muslims recite the names of heroes who fought in the battle of Badr on March 13, 624 AD.

According to sources, the prayer is used as a last resort when faithful feel they have no other means of dealing with their oppressors apart from seeking divine intervention.

Despite these measures, Mr Kimaiyo, speaking in Malindi, Kilifi County, yesterday, before he flew to Lamu to assess the security situation there, said the county was still facing security threats.

"The reports we have are that the entire county has some advanced insecurity issues and we will lift the curfew once the threat is completely removed," he said.

The Inspector General, however, said the curfew was not entirely restrictive because it had some leeway.

Appearing to soften his stand, Kimaiyo said residents could meet with the county security bosses and agree on modalities of night fishing.

"Since the county's main economic activity is fishing, there can be deliberations with security bosses so that local fishermen are allowed to go fishing at night," he said.

The Inspector General said unlike the curfew, the two-day protest by local residents was what adversely affected the county's economy.

With the lifting of the protests, businesses opened, boats resumed transport services, fishermen went out to fish and operations that had ground to a halt came back to life.

OTHER OPTIONS

Residents said leaders met on Wednesday evening and decided to end the protests.

They are, however, deliberating over other ways to compel the Government to call the curfew off particularly on Lamu islands as these were not affected by the June-July violence.

"Civil society and imams have resolved to pursue other means to push for lifting of the restriction," said Mohamed Abdulkadir, the organising secretary of the Influential Wanaharakati Okoa Lamu Association yesterday.

Sources said the protests had to be brought to an end because the island was running out of essential commodities such as food and fuel.

Some of the ways that may be used to have the curfew lifted include a question filed in the National Assembly by Woman Rep Shakilla Abdalla and a court process being fronted by imams and the Law Society of Kenya.

In her question, Ms Shakilla challenged Kimaiyo to explain what law he was using to impose and extend the curfew in Lamu and how it had helped to increase security.

"Maintaining a curfew for three months is a violation of the residents' constitutional rights and amounts to punishing them. We want the Government to declare its interest in Lamu because some people are contemplating fleeing the county due to the suffering they have endured as a result of the curfew," she said.