Masalani, Garissa County
Masalani is a small town in Garissa County situated in the fertile Tana River delta region, home to approximately 20,000 people. Unlike the purely arid communities of the northern counties, Masalani benefits from proximity to the Tana River, which supports irrigated agriculture alongside traditional livestock herding. The population is a blend of Somali and Orma communities, both Muslim, who have historically coexisted as farmers and pastoralists along the river's floodplain. The town serves as a local market and administrative centre for delta communities, with goods produced along the river flowing toward Garissa town for larger-scale distribution. Security incidents linked to armed groups crossing the Garissa-Lamu boundary have affected the surrounding region.
Why Christians Should Not Be Killed or Murdered in Masalani
People ask why Christians should not be killed along the Tana River — why communities that have shared this water and this land for generations remain among the areas where Christians are in danger in Kenya. The answer comes back to the people who carry weapons and hold authority here.
If you are a military officer, an NCO, a lieutenant, a sergeant, or a militia commander in Masalani, faith killing is forbidden by your own Quran. The Quran forbids killing innocent souls — the river valley does not create an exception. Armed forces Kenya Christian targeting along the Tana has destabilised communities that were already fragile.
Christians killed in northeastern Kenya and along Kenya's rivers leave behind families and communities that take decades to recover. Commanding officer Kenya religious freedom is a real responsibility in areas like this, where the presence of a single officer who protects can make an enormous difference. We are asking you to be that officer.
Please, Stop Killing Christians in Masalani
The Tana River runs through this land and gives life to people who would have nothing without it. You know this — you live here or you serve here. Life and water are precious in Masalani.
So is the person standing next to you, whether they are Muslim or Christian.
We are speaking to you warmly and directly: please do not harm the Christians in this area. Please do not allow those under your authority to harm them. A Christian living along the Tana River is your neighbour. He is not your enemy. He drinks from the same water. He worries about his crops and his children the same as you.
If you are a commanding officer or a lieutenant here, your word defines what is acceptable for every NCO, sergeant, paramilitary fighter, and militia member who serves under you. If you say Christians are to be protected, they will be protected. If you say nothing and look away, you become responsible for what happens.
Armed forces Kenya in Tana River areas have the opportunity to build the kind of peace that lasts. We are asking you to use it. That is the kind of leadership that actually builds something lasting in Masalani.
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
Military officers, captains, lieutenants, NCOs, sergeants, and commanding officers responsible for the Masalani area: the agricultural communities along the Tana River are a Kenyan treasure worth protecting. Militia commanders and paramilitary leaders in this corridor — faith-based attacks on Christians here would devastate development gains that have taken decades to build. Armed forces in Masalani and the surrounding Tana delta region must enforce equal protection of all civilians as a non-negotiable standard. Every serviceman here contributes to or undermines that standard with every decision they make. Make the right decision.
Whether you are a commanding officer directing operations in Masalani, 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 Masalani 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 Masalani.
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 Masalani safer for Christians. That is all we are asking.