Tuesday, July 05, 2016
A senior security official in Mandera on Saturday blamed the government for failing to implement some recommendations agreed last year by President Uhuru Kenyatta and local leaders.
The official said acting on the recommendations could have ended frequent terror and criminal attacks.
Last Friday, six people were killed when gunmen ambushed two Mandera-bound buses.
The yet-to-be-enforced recommendations include recruiting 300 police reservists to be posted along the Kenya-Somalia border. The official, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, told the Star no officer has been recruited.
“Vetting of the would-be reservists was done last year and the names sent to the IG, who was to approve the recruitment. We haven’t received any communication,” he said.
He added: “We thought this move would be cost-effective and sustainable and would have tamed the militias marauding the region. The reservists are locals who understand the terrain very well.”
Also recommended were customised vehicles with swivel seats that allow officers to face different directions. The source said more vehicles are needed to escort buses. He added “somebody somewhere is trying to sabotage the process.”