Kenya Offers Amnesty To Al-Shabaab Defectors

Kenyan government on Thursday extended amnesty to Kenyans who have joined Al-Shabaab.

Regional commissioner Mohamed Birik said the government was profiling Kenyans who may have been recruited into the militia.

He said that the government would offer amnesty to local Al-Shabaab members if they came forward.

Mr. Birik said asked the recruits to denounce the group and even seek the government’s help.

“I want to assure those who will surrender within the three months period will be pardoned. This message should reach everybody. We will also ensure their safety,” Birik said.

Birik noted that although the government has put measures to restore and sustain security in the region, the residents have even a bigger role to play.

“Criminals live within communities and it is necessary that residents volunteer relevant information to security officers,” he said.

The administrator directed chiefs and their assistants operating from urban centers to immediately go back to their duty stations, saying their absence was partly to blame for insecurity in parts of the region.

“It has come to our attention as government that some chiefs are permanently out of their duty stations and have settled in urban areas while drawing a salary. We will not hesitate to terminate their employment,” Birik said.

Al-Shabaab has been accused of launching attacks and killings on Kenya soil, as well as laying mines.

The group is also believed to be responsible for increased insecurity in the coast region, sabotaging Kenya’s economic activities such as tourism.

The group has been daring enough to kidnap Kenyan soldiers, with two still missing since they were snatched across the border in July