Radical youths given 14 more days to surrender

Youth who joined Al-Shabaab but are willing to surrender have been given 14 more days to give themselves up.

The terrorist group’s members had initially been given 10 days, but Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery Friday announced the extension.
Mr Nkaissery said the additional time was meant to give room for the youth to surrender to authorities.

He also supported long jail terms for government officials who compromise national security through corruption.

He cited the recently enacted security laws that set a minimum jail term of 15 years for public servants found liable for abetting crime.

“Selfish personal interests, which lead to corruption, have no place in today’s public service.

“That said, let me make it absolutely clear here and now that I am putting on notice corrupt public officers who jeopardise the country’s national security,” Mr Nkaissery said.

He was addressing a pass-out ceremony for assistant county commissioners at the Administration Police Senior Staff College in Emali, Makueni County.
The new laws were crafted to fight terrorism and in part amended the Penal Code to provide for longer jail terms for civil servants who break the law.

The laws target government workers who aid the commission of a crime, help illegal immigrants to enter Kenya, conceal the whereabouts of a criminal or irregularly issue identification documents.

TAKE CHARGE

The 155 new assistant county commissioners were trained in paramilitary skills, endurance and leadership for four months. They will head sub-counties, the jurisdictions that were previously known as divisions. Among other roles, they will chair sub-county intelligence and security committees.

Mr Nkaissery told them to take charge of all National Government functions in their areas, saying they had been mandated to represent the President at the grassroots.

“You are the custodians of the law and therefore you should not be seen to be breaking the same law, which you are expected to uphold and defend.”
He said traditional crimes were motivated by poverty, unemployment and cultural or tribal factors.

“However, we are now witnessing more sophisticated crime and violence in society driven by elite, professionals and other unscrupulous persons with the aim of propagating and advancing their economic, ideological, political and even religions objectives.”