Use of spy agency reports could have averted chaos

The deadliest of the election-related violence could have been avoided had the Government made use of its own intelligence reports, the Waki commissioners say.

Intelligence agents knew and warned of imminent violence regardless of who won the December 27 poll.

The military was well-prepared to handle any violence, but the police were not, said the commission’s report.

According to the report, “the police approach to its task before, during and after the elections reflected a misplaced arrogance that they would always be able to control what came up.”

Intelligence reports warned as early as September last year of violence in specified areas. And Kenya’s spy agency, the National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS), even named individuals behind hate campaigns and regions that were affected.

Preventive action

So glaring was evidence of possible violence that the Waki report notes: “Given the extensiveness of the intelligence developed and distributed by the service, it was disturbing to note that in the end there was an almost fatalistic realisation that no sufficient preventive action would be taken to ameliorate the mayhem.”

It continues: “Whilst it is clear that the Commissioner of Police (Hussein Ali) was privy to this information, it is less clear how full and detailed intelligence reports were or should have been provided to the provincial and district committees.”

The commission established that faxes were sent from Mr Ali’s office to provincial police officers from time to time in the run-up to and after the General Election.

Many Provincial Administration and regular police officers, however, had not received special guidelines and directions on the post-election scenarios drawn up by the NSIS in spite of the information being available.

A review of available data showed that security officials had knowledge and understanding of the security situation that was developing in their areas of responsibility, the report said.

In Trans Nzoia East and West, one of the security committee meetings noted a worrying security situation in the two districts where Kikuyus were being targeted.

It observed: “Whichever way the results go, Kalenjins are planning to attack Kikuyus and invade their farms.”

Support patrols

In Molo, the local security intelligence team determined in its meeting of November 22, 2007, that due to irregularities in the party nomination process and “blatant rigging” the political atmosphere became charged, leading to defections and acrimony.