Joint agency planned to pre-empt polls violence

A multi-agency security team will be set up under one roof to ensure next year’s General Election is peaceful.

This follows fears that crime prevention institutions do not often cooperate as much as desired.

These are the electoral and commission, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Director of Public Prosecutions, Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the police.

Attorney-General Githu Muigai said a joint team is being set up due to the inability of the institutions to work together.

But Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale yesterday said it was just a plan on paper with no political goodwill.

“This government is only good at talking and occupying Kenyans’ minds with what they plan to do. Sometimes leaders forget and condemn what they have said an hour before they are airlifted to another event,” he said .

He accused the country’s leadership for the rising political temperature, saying their utterances had done little to rid Kenyans of their tribal inclinations.

“The President is a symbol of national unity and is duty-bound to rise above partisan politics characterised by use of abusive language, especially in his mother tongue,” he said.

Nyamira Senator Mong’are Bw’okong’o said the President must proactively deal with corruption and inequalities in the allocation of resources to restore Kenyans’ confidence ahead of the polls.

“Putting people with vested interests in one room to guarantee peace is not a solution if many others are a disgruntled lot,” he said.

Mr Bw’okong’o said it was disappointing that the leaders, who are expected to maintain law and order and help curb hate speech and violence, were looking at crime from party positions yet the law requires them to be impartial.

During a leadership summit in Diani, Kwale County, at the weekend, Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery and Inspector-General of police Joseph Boinnet assured Kenyans of their readiness to deal with warmongers.

They said areas prone to violence, hate speech, tribal mobilisation and incitement had been identified.

Mr Nkaissery said the ministry has equipped police officers with tape recorders to monitor rallies.