Coast leaders from left Abu Chiaba (Lamu Senator), Khatib Mwashetani (Lunga Lunga MP) and Hassan Joho (Mombasa Governor) join a dance on Saturday evening along Lamu Island Seafront [PHOTO: MAARUFU MOHAMED/STANDARD]

Coast politicians have threatened to rally masses to defy the dusk-to-down curfew imposed in Lamu County by Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo in July. The curfew has been extended to Christmas Eve.

Local leaders in the Lamu archipelago say the curfew has destroyed the fishing and tourism economy as fishermen only make good catches at night.

However, Mpeketoni residents, which was devastated by a mid-June massacre that left over 60 people dead, have supported the curfew. But leaders who spoke during the Lamu cultural festivals at the Mkunguni square, Lamu Island on Saturday evening accused the Government of failing to listen to residents’ plea to lift the blanket curfew.

“This curfew is unnecessary. How can we have a curfew in place for more than five months?” Asked Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho. He said it was wrong for the Jubilee government to ignore the pleas.

The governor disclosed that Lamu Governor Issa Timamy had reached out to other Coast leaders to come to the aid of the county and compel the national government to lift the curfew, hence their interventions.

“I have personally offered to come to Lamu and show solidarity with our brothers and sisters. If the Government fails to heed calls to end the curfew, then people will now have to defy it,” Joho said.

He reiterated that security operations in the area can stay, adding they ought to be enhanced to ensure life remains normal.

 RISK ARREST

Meanwhile, Lamu County Assembly is expected to vote tomorrow to initiate the defiance of the curfew, with leaders saying they are ready to ignore the night fishing and travel ban and risk arrest. Deputy speaker Azhar Mubarak said the assembly shall be moving a motion tomorrow to outlaw the curfew.

“We are the least developed, getting the least share of budgetary allocation from the national government. This curfew is draining our already dry coffers,” Mr Mubarak said.

Msambweni MP Khatib MWashetani claimed that Lamu County has been sabotaged economically by the curfew, which in the first place ought to have been imposed in areas that had experienced cases of insecurity. “This is totally unfair and we shall stand by the people of Lamu as brothers and sisters to defy the curfew this week if the sanctions are not removed by the Government,” Mwashetani said.

Timamy disclosed that the county had the equivalent of Sh500million millions in lost levies and taxes after the curfew was imposed, which he said had destroyed the fisheries and the tourism and hotel sector.

“We have recorded a huge increase at the county government on the number of needy cases for assistance from families unable to meet their daily obligations like school fees as most of the bread winners employed in the tourism industry became jobless,” Timamy said.

Lamu west MP Julius Ndegwa said he supported the lifting of the curfew in other parts of the county which had not been affected by the deadly killings witnessed early in the year.