Region is peaceful during festive season, Northeastern RC assures residents

North Eastern regional commissioner John Otieno speaking to the press while flanked by top security heads/HANDOUT

Residents of North Eastern have been assured that the region is peaceful before, during, and after the festive season.

Speaking to the press outside his office after a meeting with the regional heads of departments to take stock on their achievements and areas of improvement in the course of the year, North Eastern regional commissioner John Otieno said that the security agencies have put up measures to deal with any security incident.

He asked the residents to continue with their businesses without fear of any insecurity while appealing to them to report any suspicious activities to the police for swift action.

“During the festive season, sometimes criminal activities like home burglaries, traffic offenses, terrorism activities, and loud music during night hours which interfere with the peace within the vicinities increase,” Otieno said.

“Our security agencies have put measures in place to make sure that residents of this region celebrate the December and January festivities in a peaceful and secure environment. We are prepared to deal with any emergency insecurity incident or anybody breaking the law."

The regional commissioner further noted that all the National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO) had been directed to stay at their posts during the season to be able to quickly coordinate and act on any emergency.

He warned the citizens against issuing alarming statements, especially on social media, which would threaten peace and order.

The region that has in the past bore the brunt of al-Shabaab attacks has enjoyed relative calm throughout the year, with no major incidences reported.

This, the regional head attributed to the close working relationship between members of the public and the security apparatus.

“Security is a responsibility of each and every individual. To this end, I want to thank members of the public who continue to provide actionable information to members of the security sector who have always acted promptly. That should be the spirit going forward,” he said.

He added, "On the same breath, I also want to use this opportunity to ask members of the public to stop issuing alarming statements that would jeopardise our security measures.".