Standard
Thursday, May 16, 2013
President Uhuru Kenyatta will Thursday chair a crisis meeting at State House, Nairobi, with top police chiefs over the spiraling insecurity in the country.
Provincial Police Officers (PPOs), Provincial Criminal Investigations Officers (PCIOs) and formation commanders from the regular and Administration police will attend the meeting.
Security has been deteriorating across the country including parts of central, and western Kenya, Mandera in the North, Coast and Nairobi, where a senior official was murdered at dawn.
At least 10 people have been killed and more than 100 injured by machete-wielding gangs who have attacked villagers in Bungoma and Busia Counties.
Police are investigating a political motive to the attacks but there has not been a breakthrough almost a month since the mayhem began.
In Mandera, gunmen shot dead a police officer and a worker during an ambush on a police station. The brazen attack came after Deputy President William Ruto toured the border town where at least eight people have been killed in ethnic conflict.
The crime wave swept into Nairobi with the murder on Monday morning of the County’s Transitional Coordinator Eliud Baraza. He was killed outside his residence in Tena Estate. Gunmen also killed two police officers and a businessman during a robbery in Nairobi’s South B area on the same day.
The President meets his security chiefs two days after he ordered that Sh4 billion be set aside annually starting this financial year for the purchase of equipment to bolster law enforcement.
Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo termed it a briefing meeting so the President understands what is happening in the country.
The Head of State has said he is concerned with the apparent surge in crime. His deputy William Ruto, who chaired security meetings and toured violence-scarred regions in his absence, has indicated that 10,000 more police officers will be hired.
Yesterday, the President witnessed the swearing in of 15 Cabinet Secretaries at State House, Nairobi, but the crucial docket of Interior and Coordination of National Government, whose holder will oversee the security apparatus, is still vacant.
President Uhuru is yet to name a nominee to the crucial docket, despite an assurance by Ruto three weeks ago.
On
April 26, when the Cabinet nominees were named, but without nominations
to Interior and Labour dockets, Ruto had explained the slots would be
filled within “a couple of days.”
Said the Deputy President: “We will bring it (filling the two slots)
to a close in the next couple of few days, may be by Tuesday or
Wednesday, and then begin the process of working on the PSs (Principal
Secretaries) and getting everybody down to work,” Ruto had said on April
26.
Ruto then explained they had interviewed some people for the
positions “apart from one or two who are travelling abroad” adding that
the issue would be concluded once the President returned from a visit to
Arusha, Tanzania.
The President was back on Sunday April 28, but
there was no word about the two vacant slots on the promised April 29
and 30, when instead the list of 16 cabinet nominees was submitted to
Parliament.
Yesterday, President Kenyatta witnessed the Cabinet
Secretaries take the oath of office. He warned State officers who engage
in corruption and misuse of Government resources that they would not be
protected under his administration.
Uhuru said the new
Constitution provides a mechanism for addressing graft in the public
sector and his Government would neither tolerate nor protect anyone
engaged in the vice.
He asked the officials to uphold
accountability and transparency in the management of public funds and
resources that are entrusted on them.
“We must also bear in mind
that under my Government, all oversight mechanisms, including the Ethics
and Anti-Corruption Commission and all other institutions responsible
for enforcing the law will operate without any undue influence from the
Government,” he added.
Foreign Affairs nominee Amina Mohamed skipped the event as she was away in New York meeting UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
Families
of the new Cabinet members present at the swearing in included the
octogenarian mother of Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary
Michael Kamau, who could not hide her joy at witnessing the historic
moment from her wheelchair.
Uhuru urged Kenyans to be vigilant against graft in the public service.