LAMU – Lamu County Commissioner Stephen Sangolo has credited the multi-agency security initiative Operation Amani Boni (OAB) with significantly lowering insurgency threats across the region, though he cautioned that isolated risks from Al-Shabaab militants still linger.
Speaking in an interview on Sifa FM, Sangolo stated that the national government initiative launched in September 2015 to counter militants operating from neighboring Somalia and within the dense Boni Forest enclave has effectively stabilized the local security landscape after years of violent disruption.
Sangolo commended the unified strategy maintained by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), the National Police Service (NPS), and National Government Administration Officers (NGAO). While observing that coordinated field intelligence and joint patrols have effectively neutralized main insurgent networks and prevented major attacks in recent years, he emphasized that the county is not completely out of the woods yet.
Consequently, he urged residents along the Kenya-Somalia border and inside Boni Forest to maintain close cooperation with security forces by reporting any suspicious individuals in their neighborhoods.
The marked reduction in militant activity has accelerated calls from local political leaders and community members for the national government to capitalize on the peace gains by expanding physical and social infrastructure throughout Boni Forest.
At a ceremony in Kiangwe Village marking the handover of eight new Junior Secondary School (JSS) classrooms constructed through the Lamu East NG-CDF in partnership with the KDF and the Deris Wanaag organization Lamu East MP Ruweida Obbo stressed that long-term security in the region depends heavily on opening up isolated communities through expanded educational access.
To ensure students across Boni Forest can pursue secondary education without safety hazards or long-distance travel, MP Obbo proposed constructing a centralized boarding Junior Secondary School and Senior Secondary School in Kiangwe. This planned facility would serve learners from scattered settlements, including Milimani, Basuba, Mangai, Mararani, and Bodhei.
Obbo noted that providing a secure, centralized learning environment would directly address persistent social challenges in the region, such as high dropout rates, early marriages, and teenage pregnancies.
Local residents supported the proposed educational reforms, framing infrastructure expansion as a critical step toward ending decades of economic and social marginalization.
Area residents Omar Walaba and Fatuma Shizo urged government agencies to fast-track the establishment of boarding facilities and modern transit links, maintaining that permanent road networks and functional schools will eliminate the geographical isolation that militants previously exploited, thereby reinforcing the gains achieved on the security front.
