On Monday, Kenya’s Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) joined calls by the Kenya National Teachers Union (KNUT) in advising its members to leave Kenya’s northeastern border towns citing increasing violence and the Kenyan government’s inability to ensure security.
Kenya’s medical and teachers’ unions have both asked their members in northeastern Kenya to abandon their posts following the executions of 28 passengers in a bus attack in the north eastern town of Mandera last weekend by Al-Shabaab militants.
On Monday, Kenya’s Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) joined calls by the Kenya National Teachers Union (KNUT) in advising its members to leave Kenya’s northeastern border towns citing increasing violence and the Kenyan government’s inability to ensure security.
20 of the 28 slain bus passengers were said to be teachers who were separated from Muslim passengers on their bus before being executed by a group of militants.
Soon after the bus attack on Saturday the Kenyan government claimed to have inflicted heavy casualties on Al-Shabaab positions near Kenya’s border, but the terrorist group denied Kenyan forces had killed any of its members.
Deputy President, William Ruto, has also previously assured Kenyans that the government was taking necessary actions to secure the safety of all Kenyans, but many Kenyans doubt the government’s ability to prevent all attacks planned by the Al-Shabaab group.
On Tuesday The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) issued a statement condemning Saturday’s bus attack, but advised residents of border towns to remain at their posts and avoid falling prey to Al-Shabaab’s objectives of instilling fear in Kenyans.
“We know it is painful when people get killed for no mistakes of their own. But it is definitely not right that we should allow these people to divide us. We must demand that the government makes it secure for everyone since it is unfair to ask everybody to return to their homes and leave such areas. It is unacceptable, it is wrong to tell everyone to go. What guarantee do we have that these terrorists will not hit what you call your home?” said NCIC Chairman, Francis ole Kaparo.
Kenya has been witnessing attacks linked to the Al-Shabaab group since a decision to deploy Kenyan troops in support of a UN-sanctioned Somali transitional government in 2001.