Use of spy agency reports could have averted chaos

It advised that there was a strong need to strengthen security operations preceding the elections.

It recommended that five police posts be established and additional funding be allocated to support patrols and rapid deployment operations. There is no record of these initiatives having been followed through.

While there is evidence of good information gathering, intelligence preparation and understanding of security issues, there is a weakness in translating this into clear, demonstrable and useful operational interventions.

The report said the NSIS was best prepared for the violence that befell Kenya.

It gathered data about the chaos that could occur around the time of the General Election.

It also produced a range of reports highlighting the issues and provided them to senior Government officials, as well as police, military, prisons and other agencies.

The NSIS produced both regular and special reports regularly throughout the months leading up to the General Election.

They include hotspots and flashpoint updates, situation reports and security briefs at provincial and district levels.

NSIS went as far as recommending that operational agencies should come up with specific contingency plans, take action against inciters and financiers of criminal gangs and ensure staff refrained from partisan behaviour.

The spy agency accurately forecast what was likely to happen should either ODM’s Raila Odinga or PNU’s Mwai Kibaki win the presidential election.

A special report entitled “Critical Dates and Events - General Elections 2007” was forwarded on December 6 to the chairman of the Electoral Commission of Kenya, Mr Samuel Kivuitu.

Trained troops

Among other things, it warned that “increased political activity and attendant lawlessness are likely to overwhelm the security organs”.

The Waki report praised the military, saying it was the most prepared institution regarding the violence.

“The military prepared contingency plans, anticipatory orders, trained troops and rehearsed in order to respond appropriately to likely scenarios, conducted barazas (meetings) with staff around their need to remain apolitical in accordance with military values to ensure that should the need arise military support could be provided quickly and effectively,” the said report.