STATEMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY HON.

UHURU KENYATTA, PRESIDENT

AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE FORCES OF THE
REPUBLIC OF KENYA ON THE ATTACK IN LAMU COUNTY, June 17, 21!
Fellow Kenyans,
In the last 48 hours, more than 50 Kenyans were murdered as they went about
their normal daily activities, by criminals in Lamu County.
On my behal, that o the !overnment and the "eo#le o Kenya, I e$#ress my
dee#est sym#athy to the amilies who lost their loved ones, as well as those
who were a%ected by the un&usti'able and barbaric attac(.
I cannot 'nd words to ade)uately e$#ress my shoc( and outra*e at the
tra*edy o this brutal and heinous crime.
+y !overnment stands in solidarity with everyone a%ected by this tra*edy, the
bereaved and those in&ured, #hysically and #sycholo*ically.
-he !overnment will meet the uneral e$#enses o the sadly de#arted
com#atriots and *ive them a di*ni'ed send.o%.
/e will ensure that the in&ured receive the re)uired medical attention.
I wish them s#eedy recovery and resum#tion o their normal lie.
-o those that lost their #ro#erties, the *overnment will stand with you in their
reconstruction.
Fellow Kenyans,
/e are all hurtin*. +any o us are an*ry. I share and understand your eelin*s,
and wish to state as ollows,
/e live at a time when our #eo#le are vulnerable to rec(less leaders and hate.
mon*ers, who mani#ulate them, to create hate, intolerance and anaticism.
-his ma(es them easy #rey to radicali0ation and crime. 1ec(less leaders
#ro#a*ate the unlawul messa*e that some are more or less Kenyan than
others.
2an*erous leaders #reach the insidious messa*e that some #eo#le are holy
whilst others are evil.
-he sum total o these cam#ai*ns is to #ortray certain #eo#le as less human,
and thereore less deservin* o com#assion and consideration, and #erha#s,
air *ame or brutality and abuse.
3uch leaders divide instead o unite, scatter where they should *ather, and
destroy where they should build.
-hey also ma(e it easy or terrorists to o#erate comortably amon* us, and to
in4ict murder and mayhem on innocent Kenyans.
-he attac( in Lamu was well #lanned, orchestrated, and #olitically motivated
ethnic violence a*ainst a Kenyan community, with the intention o #ro'lin* and
evictin* them or #olitical reasons. -his thereore, was not an 5l 3habaab
terrorist attac(.
6vidence indicates that local #olitical networ(s were involved in the #lannin*
and e$ecution o the heinous attac(s.
-his also #layed into the o##ortunist networ(s o other criminal *an*s.
It is now clear that intelli*ence on this attac( was availed to the security
o7cers in +#e(etoni.
8nortunately, the o7cers did not act accordin*ly. -his ne*li*ence and
abdication o duty and res#onsibility is unacce#table.
5ccordin*ly, all concerned o7cers have been sus#ended and will be char*ed
immediately in a court o law.
5ny other o7cers that will be ound to have ailed will ace a similar ate.
Kenyans e$#ect no less.
"ublic o7ce o whatever ran( and stature is a hi*h trust. 6very o7cer who
abdicates his or her #roessional standards, or en*a*es in corru#tion or
ne*lects his duty, casts his lot with terrorists, ra#ists, robbers, murderers and
other criminals.
9ecause they condone crime throu*h their slac( and com#licit conduct, they
are the acilitators and collaborators o terrorists and criminal activity, and
must be discarded rom the system and dealt with 'rmly.
-o restore normalcy in the a%ected areas, my !overnment has enhanced
security in Lamu.
/e are also ocusin* attention on actors and other entities that are actively
en*a*ed in other 4ash#oints around the country.
Kenyans and the !overnment in #articular, have, over the last several wee(s,
observed ren0ied #olitical rhetoric laced with ethnic #ro'lin* o some Kenyan
communities and obvious acts o incitement to lawlessness and #ossible
violence.
-he inciters have also *iven e$am#les o other countries where thousands o
citi0ens have died and been maimed in similar circumstances.
-his rhetoric is unacce#table and will not be condoned.
+y 2e#uty and I undertoo( to ma(e sure that the country will never *o the
route o ethnic division and #olitical violence.
I reiterate that Kenya will not *o that route a*ain: /e will not allow Kenya to *o
down this violent #ath a*ain.
-o these #olitical actors, I relay to you the disa##ointment o the #eo#le o this
country, in those who thin( that leadershi# is a s#ort.
-hose o you *iven to ill.thou*ht, intem#erate and rec(less s#eech and
conduct, are now on notice, there will be accountability in accordance with the
law.
1ec(less rhetoric, incitement and ne*ative #ro#a*anda do not constitute
res#onsible leadershi#. -hey will not be tolerated.
-hose unwillin* to wor( to unite Kenyans will not have the s#ace to divide
them.
-here is no constitutional #rotection or hate s#eech, incitement and other
abuses o ree s#eech.
I call on every Kenyan to do their #art ully in ensurin* that no crime succeeds
due to ailure on their #art.
-o wananchi, I ur*e each o you to stay vi*ilant. Know everythin* *oin* on
around you.
2o not s#eculate or hesitate. 1e#ort anythin* that stri(es you as odd, and let
the security services ta(e the a##ro#riate action. I also ur*e you not to ta(e
the law into your hands.
Fellow Kenyans, I am satis'ed that, or the most #art, our security a*encies
have #erormed well and thwarted innumerable terrorist and other criminal
cons#iracies and attem#ts.
3ecurity is a vital national re)uirement; everyone livin* in Kenya has a ri*ht to
e$#ect the security o their #ersons and #ro#erty as well as those o their loved
ones.
Fellow Kenyans,
/e have been victims o terrorism in the #ast and the threat o terror continues
to han* over us.
Fellow Kenyans, 5s we mourn the dead, condole with the bereaved and comort
the in&ured, I as( every one o us to re4ect dee#ly on what each must do to
(ee# our country sae, and to be our brother<s and sister<s (ee#er.
I also ur*e every Kenyan to revisit our core values and remember who we are...
Fear and hel#lessness are not, and will never be our way o lie.
-o*ether, we shall *row and (ee# risin*. Let us not *ive s#ace or those who
want us to be araid, or divided.
I also ta(e this o##ortunity to assure every Kenyan that no matter the
challen*es assailin* us, my !overnment stands with the #eo#le and wor(s or
all Kenyans wherever they are.
!od bless you all.