Address insecurity, Kalonzo Musyoka tells Jubilee

Wiper Democratic Movement leader Kalonzo Musyoka on Sunday criticized the Jubilee government for allegedly not doing enough to contain rising insecurity in the country.

Mr Musyoka said Kenyans in many counties were getting disillusioned by rising cases of terrorism, banditry and cattle rustling which had claimed hundreds of lives in the last six months.

He said two months since the deadly Garissa attack in which 148 lives were lost, neither President Kenyatta nor his deputy William Ruto had visited the county to console the residents.

“The Jubilee government is focusing their political energies on causing disunity in opposition parties to derail the Okoa Kenya referendum drive instead of addressing serious challenges facing the country like insecurity” he said.

The former vice president, who was ODM leader Raila Odinga’s running mate in 2013 General Election, also claimed Jubilee had broken most of its election pledges.

“Where are the laptops which Jubilee leaders promised Kenyan pupils? Where are the one million acres of irrigation? Why is insecurity worsening in every corner of the country?” Mr Musyoka asked.

Speaking at Ukasi in Kitui County during the burial of his longtime political ally Mzee Mulwa Maliti, the Cord co-principal said they would keep the government in check and more specifically ensure that devolution takes root as enshrined in the Constitution.

He told party senators, governors, MPs, and MCAs to respect the leadership of political parties that sponsored their election and be at the forefront in championing their ideologies and manifesto.

BANDITRY MENACE

Mr Musyoka was accompanied by Kitui Governor Julius Malombe, Senator David Musila and MPs Mutua Muluvi (Kitui East) and John Munuve (Mwingi North).

The leaders accused the government of failing in its primary duty to protect Kenyans and demanded a lasting solution to the banditry menace in the county.

Eight people have been killed by armed bandits in separate incidences in Kitui South and Mwingi North sub counties in the last one week, forcing hundreds of residents to flee their homes in fear.

“We will not sit and watch our people being butchered helplessly, those responsible for security must stop these attacks or else we will devise our way of protecting ourselves” said Mr Musila.

Mr Musila said the government should beef up security in the area by evicting the herders who have invaded the area in search of pasture for their livestock.

Six suspects have been arrested in connection with the killings but the leaders argued that the pastoral conflict between the Kambas and Oroma communities was a smokescreen for lawlessness.

Last week, County Commissioner Moffat Kangi promised that the government would conduct an operation in the South Kitui and Kora game reserves to flush out the bandits.

Mr Kangi said everything will be done to ensure security is restored in the areas bordering Garissa and Tana River counties as police pursue the bandits.

The administrator also cautioned the residents against entering lease agreements for grazing pastures and water with strangers without involving government authorities.

“We’ll enforce our mechanisms to drive away these invaders from our midst but the residents must also play their civic duty to cooperate and provide information to security agencies” he said.