Lafey MP Abdi Mude on Tuesday called for a lasting solution to the terror problem.
He welcomed the renewed efforts by the government to deal with militants. Lafey constituency borders Somalia and has borne the brunt of terror attacks staged by al Shabaab.
Speaking in Mandera town, the lawmaker called for concerted efforts to defeat terrorists.
On Friday and Saturday, the leadership of the three Northeastern counties held separate meetings to deliberate on insecurity problems. They said "enough is enough" and urged residents to work with the police to combat attacks that have threatened to cripple their education, health and the economy. The three meetings in Garissa, Wajir and Mandera towns resolved that local solutions were the way to defeat terrorism.
On Monday, Interior CS Fred Matiang'i met with regional and county security committees from Wajir, Mandera and Garissa, together with chiefs, and pledged support and additional resources to ensure all the recommendations that were made by the governors and the security teams are fully implemented.
Mude welcomed the move saying al Shabaab has always thrived by taking advantage of the lack of trust between residents and the Kenyan security forces.
“I want to thank the three governors for the meetings they held and the resolutions they made and delivered to the Interior CS for immediate implementation. The visit by the CS is a move in the right direction," he said.
“This shows the commitment of the national government to eradicate the menace."
Mude, however, criticised the withdrawal of non-local teachers in border towns because of insecurity, saying it amounts to playing into the hands of al Shabaab. He said the best solution would be to increase and equip police officers guarding their schools.
“The problem has been that you find a police post only has a maximum of five officers. And all they are armed with is an AK-47 gun. Surely, what will such a person do when he is under attack from a militant who is more equipped with sophisticated weapons?” he said.
Mude said the militants threaten to reverse the gains achieved since the onset of devolution in the once marginalised region.