Complaints about masked officers manning checkpoints on the road to Lamu, on Kenya’s coast, have finally reached the country’s police watchdog. According to Kenyan news site Hivipunde, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) said on October 8 it would act on reports that officers on the Lamu-Malindi highway harass travellers and conceal their identities.
Lamu has been a centre of Swahili and Bajuni Muslim life for centuries, its old town famed for its mosques and coral-stone architecture. Coastal Muslims in Christian-majority Kenya have long complained of heavy-handed security operations, and this highway lived under a night curfew for more than a decade.
What Happened on the Lamu Road
According to People Daily, six members of Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) were held for about two hours between Gamba and Minjila on September 29. The Star reported that the team, led by Khelef Khalifa, was returning from a three-day fact-finding visit over compensation complaints linked to an oil refinery project in Lamu. Most of the roughly 20 officers wore balaclavas, the paper said, and spikes were laid in front of and behind the vehicle.
Read More: Lagos Muslim Leaders Demand Equitable Appointments and Shariah Law
Court Order Versus Government Line
Hivipunde reported that a High Court order of May 21, 2026 suspended Lamu’s curfew and required officers to wear visible identification. The government insists the checkpoints are lawful counter-terrorism measures, but Lamu East MP Ruweida Mohamed told Parliament that travellers between Mokowe and Gamba were still being stopped after midnight and turned back. IPOA chair Duncan Ojwang said the authority would follow up with the Inspector-General of Police to ensure court orders are obeyed.
Sources: Hivipunde, People Daily, The Star
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