Group mounts pressure on President Kenyatta over insecurity

Mr Ndung’u Wainaina, the executive director of the International Center for Policy and Conflict (ICPC), said on November 30, 2014 that Kenyans are calling for a “responsive, sensitive and accountable” leadership. FILE PHOTO |

What you need to know:

  • Mr Ndung’u Wainaina, the executive director of the International Center for Policy and Conflict (ICPC), said Sunday that Kenyans are calling for a “responsive, sensitive and accountable” leadership.
  • “We want the Directorate of Criminal Investigations overhauled because they are best placed to ensure effective reforms in the investigation and prosecution of crimes. We also want the President to appoint a special security adviser who will be stationed at statehouse,” added Mr Wainaina.
  • Also present at the press briefing were activists Gladwell Otieno, Davinder Lamba, Njonjo Mue, and former anti-corruption permanent secretary John Githongo.
  • Some members of parliament from the opposition camp also showed up for the press briefing to show their support for the demands being made by the human rights activists.

A lobby group Sunday mounted pressure on President Uhuru Kenyatta to either resign or face impeachment after what they describe as a clear inability to handle the rising insecurity in the country.

The activists said the rising incidents of insecurity in the recent past have cast a shadow on the legitimacy of the current administration and that the President needs to take decisive action radical action to avert a worse crisis.

Mr Ndung’u Wainaina, the executive director of the International Center for Policy and Conflict (ICPC), said Sunday that Kenyans are calling for a “responsive, sensitive and accountable” leadership.

“The president has three options: he should disband and re-constitute the current government, call for a fresh presidential election or resign. But things cannot remain as they are. Public statements without visible action are not enough,” he said.

Prof Yash Pal Ghai, former Chairman of the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission (CKRC), said the constitution does not exempt the president from impeachment though it gives him a wide immunity.

“The cry of the people is loud enough and we are aware that the national assembly has the final say on the fate of the president in times of crisis. The people can mount the pressure on the house to impeach the president if he does not address the current insecurity issues decisively,” he said.

The human rights activists also put the National Security Council to task and demanded for a “clear, cogent and coherent” national security policy.

ACCOUNTABILITY

They also asked the council to guide the Interior Ministry and the National Police Service on coming up with clear policy and guidelines that will ensure accountability in the officers responsible.

“We want the Directorate of Criminal Investigations overhauled because they are best placed to ensure effective reforms in the investigation and prosecution of crimes. We also want the President to appoint a special security adviser who will be stationed at statehouse,” added Mr Wainaina.

Also present at the press briefing were activists Gladwell Otieno, Davinder Lamba, Njonjo Mue, and former anti-corruption permanent secretary John Githongo.

Mr Githongo also cited the rising cases of sectarian violence and blamed the way recent security swoops were carried out in various parts of the country for fuelling the tension.

“This divisive approach to the war against terror has turned out to be counterproductive. We saw how the Somalis were profiled after the attacks in Eastleigh. Such incidents make it difficult for the average Kenyan not to see the war against terror as a war against the Somali or Muslim community in the country,” he said.

Mr Githongo also criticized how quickly the government has become to deploy military forces to curb the rising insecurity.

“We are slowly seeing the military becoming a first resort rather than a last resort. This is deeply worrying and indicative of serious flaws in our security intelligence,” he said.

Some members of parliament from the opposition camp also showed up for the press briefing to show their support for the demands being made by the human rights activists.

These include: Opiyo Wandai (Ugunja MP), Gladys Wanga (Homabay MP), and Ababu Namwamba (Budalang’i MP).

Also present was Amb. Mwanyengela Ngali, the secretary general of NARC Kenya, Anthony Oluoch of Okoa Kenya, and Elvis Abuka, the current co-ordinator in the CORD secretariat.