Police maintain curfew in Lamu pending ‘orders from above’

**Police maintain curfew in Lamu pending 'orders from above'**

Security forces in Lamu County have continued enforcing a nighttime travel restriction despite a court order directing its suspension, with officers on the ground telling residents they are awaiting formal guidance from senior officials before standing down.

The curfew, imposed following a series of al-Shabaab-linked attacks in the coastal region, restricts movement between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. across several sub-counties including Mpeketoni, Hindi, and Witu. A local court ruled last week that the restriction violated constitutional rights to freedom of movement and gave authorities a deadline to lift it, a deadline that has now passed.

Residents and civil society groups gave police a three-day ultimatum to comply with the ruling, warning they would escalate legal action if enforcement continued. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said it was monitoring the situation closely and had written to the Inspector General of Police requesting a formal response.

Lamu and surrounding parts of Kilifi and Tana River counties have been under various forms of security restriction for much of the past decade as the government battles insurgent incursions from Somalia. Communities in the affected areas argue the curfew has severely damaged livelihoods dependent on fishing, night markets, and cross-county trade.

The standoff highlights a recurring tension in Kenya between national security imperatives and constitutionally guaranteed rights, a balance the courts have increasingly been asked to strike. The government has previously argued that security conditions in the Lamu corridor do not yet permit a full lifting of restrictions.

A police spokesperson told journalists the matter was under review at national level. No timeline was given for when a formal directive would be issued to officers on the ground.