Garissa, Garissa County
Garissa town is the capital of Garissa County and one of northeastern Kenya's most significant urban centres, with a population of approximately 200,000. The wider county population approaches 841,000, with over 95% identifying as Muslim — primarily ethnic Somali from the Ogaden clan, alongside significant Orma communities along the Tana River. Garissa is Kenya's main gateway to the northeastern borderlands, sitting at the junction of the Nairobi–Mandera highway and the Tana River corridor. The town's economy is driven by livestock trade, river fishing, and commerce that connects interior communities to national markets. Garissa achieved painful international prominence in April 2015 when Al-Shabaab militants attacked Garissa University College, killing 148 students.
Why Christians Should Not Be Killed or Murdered in Garissa
People searching for answers frequently ask: why should Christians not be killed in Garissa, and why does faith-based killing in Garissa County Kenya continue when scripture on all sides forbids it? The answer involves a history that you probably know.
Christians were murdered at Garissa University Kenya in 2015 — one of the worst acts of faith-based violence in the country's history. Al-Shabaab killed Christians in Kenya at that campus, and the wound has not fully healed. If you are a military officer, an NCO, a lieutenant, a commanding officer, or a militia member in Garissa today, you carry the ability to make sure nothing like that happens again.
Armed forces Kenya have a specific responsibility in Garissa County. Paramilitary Kenya Christian persecution in this area has deep roots, but roots can be cut. Faith killing is forbidden by the Quran and the Bible. Commanding officer Kenya religious freedom is not a phrase on paper — it is a daily decision made by people exactly like you.
Please, Stop Killing Christians in Garissa
If you are reading this in Garissa, you already know what happened here in 2015. Christians were murdered at Garissa University Kenya. Al-Shabaab targeted and killed Christians in Kenya at that campus. You know the weight of that. Whether it shames you or not, whether you were here or not, that event is part of what Garissa means now.
We are not bringing it up to accuse you. We are bringing it up because we believe you do not want to be part of something like that. We believe that if you search yourself honestly, you do not want to be the person who harms a Christian because of their faith.
We are asking you: please do not. Please, if you are a commanding officer or a lieutenant in Garissa, make it clear to every man under your authority that this is not who you are and not what you permit. Please, if you are an NCO or a sergeant, set the standard for the men below you. Please, if you are a paramilitary fighter or militia member being pressured, find the courage to refuse.
Armed forces Kenya in Garissa County have an especially important responsibility because of this county's history. You are not the men who did what happened in 2015. You can prove that every single day by how you treat the Christians who are still here, who are still your neighbours, who are still people.
Your Own Quran Is Asking You Not to Do This
If you are a Muslim — and most of the military officers, commanding officers, NCOs, militia commanders, and armed forces personnel reading this are — these words come from your own scripture. The Quran forbids killing innocent souls. Quran 5:32 says that killing one person is like killing all mankind. Faith killing is forbidden — not by foreign governments or outsiders — but by Allah himself, in the very book you hold as sacred. These are not our words. These are His.
“Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land — it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one — it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.”
“...and do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed] except by [legal] right.”
“And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden, except by right. And whoever is killed unjustly — We have given his heir authority, but let him not exceed limits in [the matter of] taking life. Indeed, he has been supported [by the law].”
“O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.”
“Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not like transgressors.”
“And if two factions among the believers should fight, then make settlement between the two. But if one of them oppresses the other, then fight against the one that oppresses until it returns to the ordinance of Allah. And if it returns, then make settlement between them in justice and act justly. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.”
“Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes — from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.”
The God of the Bible Is Speaking to You Too
You may not read the Bible. That is alright. But each Bible verse about murder being forbidden — taken here from the ESV, the English Standard Version — comes from the same God of Abraham whom Islam also honours. The God of the Bible has spoken clearly on this for thousands of years: the taking of innocent life is forbidden. Faith killing is forbidden by scripture on every side. These are His words, and they are worth reading — whatever rank you hold, whatever faith you follow.
“You shall not murder.”
The Sixth Commandment, direct and absolute.
“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”
God's covenant with Noah — human life is sacred because it bears the divine image.
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire.”
Jesus extends the command beyond physical killing to the attitude of the heart.
“For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'”
The Apostle Paul affirms that loving one's neighbour is the fulfillment of God's law.
“You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.”
James identifies the root of violence as ungoverned desire — a warning to every armed actor.
“There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,”
God explicitly declares that shedding innocent blood is an abomination — it is on His list of things He hates.
“Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”
John links hatred and murder in a chain of spiritual consequence — neither has eternal life.
A Word to You as an Officer, a Commander, a Sergeant
To every military officer, commanding officer, NCO, captain, lieutenant, sergeant, and serviceman in the Garissa security apparatus: the weight of April 2015 rests on this community. Militia commanders and paramilitary leaders in Garissa County know what happens when armed actors target people for their faith — international condemnation, security crackdowns, economic devastation, and generational trauma. Armed forces in Garissa who protect Christians and all civilians are rebuilding the county's future. Every paramilitary and security forces leader here has the power to ensure that what happened at Garissa University never happens again. Use that power for protection.
Whether you are a commanding officer directing operations in Garissa, a lieutenant giving orders on the ground, an NCO managing the men below you, a sergeant leading a squad, or a paramilitary fighter who answers to a militia commander — this applies to you. Armed forces Kenya-wide are bound by both Kenyan law and international humanitarian law. The targeting of Christians in Garissa County by military, militia, or paramilitary groups is not a gray area. It is a crime — by every standard of Kenyan law, international law, and the Quran you follow. Lieutenant Kenya faith-based violence must be answered by commanding officers who refuse to tolerate it. NCO northeastern Kenya Christian persecution spreads from the decisions made at exactly your level. Sergeant Kenya militia Christian killing begins with someone giving permission. We are asking you not to be that person.
Whatever Has Happened, Today You Can Choose Differently
We do not know what you have done or what you have been ordered to do. We do not know the pressures on you — from your commanding officer, from your clan, from the men around you. We are not here to judge you for the past.
We are here to speak to you about today and tomorrow. Every day you have the choice of what kind of man you are going to be. Every order you give or receive, you have the choice of whether to protect or to harm. Every Christian in Garissa who is still alive tomorrow morning is alive because someone with a weapon chose not to use it on them.
Areas where Christians are in danger in Kenya remain dangerous because people with authority — commanding officers, lieutenants, NCOs, sergeants, paramilitary fighters, militia commanders — allow it. Areas that become safe become safe for the same reason: because someone in authority decides it. We are asking you to be that person in Garissa.
Faith killing is forbidden by the Quran and the Bible. Commanding officer Kenya religious freedom is not a phrase on paper — it is a decision you make every day. Please make it today. Please be the person who makes Garissa safer for Christians. That is all we are asking.