Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has turned down a request made by nominated senator Shakila Abdalla Mohamed to remove sniffer dogs at roadblocks in Lamu.
Speaking during the funeral service of the late Deputy Governor of Lamu County Raphael Munyua Ndung’u on Thursday, September 19, 2024, Senator Shakila expressed concerns over the use of sniffer dogs by security officers in the region.
Shakila lamented that the continued use of the dogs to search their belongings while travelling to various parts of Lamu defies their Islamic beliefs.
The nominated senator thus appealed to DP Gachagua to push for their removal.
“Mimi nkimalizia nina langu moja kwa mheshimiwa Gachagua. Tunafurahi usalama umeimarika lakini kwa izi roadblocks kuna majibwa. Kikwetu Kiislamu ni makosa sana mzigo wako ukifunguliwa na unuswe na majibwa (As I wind up, I only have one issue which I am directing to Gachagua. We are happy that the security in Lamu has been restored but on these roadblocks we have dogs. In our Islamic belief, it is very wrong for a dog to sniff through our property and even us),” she stated.
“Mheshimiwa Gachagua tuko tayari sisi kuvurugwa na kukorogwa na askari ndani na nje, lakini tuondoleeni majibwa. Hatutaki majibwa kwa roadblock (We are ready to be frisked by security officers but please remove the dogs. We don’t want the dogs on the roadblocks),” Shakila insisted.
Gachagua’s response
Responding to Shakila’s plea, Gachagua made it clear that the dogs cannot be removed due to the nature of security issues in Lamu.
Gachagua informed the lawmaker that the sniffer dogs are trained to detect explosives and dangerous weapons which can be ferried by extremist groups to harm the residents.
Further, Gachagua explained that the sniffer dogs are able to detect narcotics concealed in untraceable places thus helping the country in its fight against outlawed drugs.
The Second in Command emphasised that the dogs will continue helping the security officers in the region until order is fully restored.
“Now Shakila you must understand that every job has a unique way of doing it. The crimes in Lamu are complicated, we are talking of terrorism banditry and explosives.
“Those sniffer dogs you are lamenting about are the ones which have the capabilities of tracing all these. The good thing about these dogs is they cannot be bribed,” Gachagua responded to Shakila’s request.
“Also where the President is and where I stay, security officers use sniffer dogs. It is the only method so far in the world used to detect explosives so that they are not a danger in society. So you have to bear with us,” he added while pleading with the residents to allow the security officers to do their work without interference.
Islam with dogs
Most scholars have argued a dog’s saliva is impure, and some believe even its fur is impure. Those who hold this belief argue that a Muslim must pour water over any area of their body that a dog has touched.
However, there are groups of Muslims who hold a contrary opinion and treat dogs as inherently pure animals.
