Expectations high new chiefs will sort out mess

Two statements from my last post created a great deal of interest and, as always, earned me stick and flak.

The first was that Kenya’s problem is not Al-Shabaab but a security system that has failed again and again to protect Kenyans. The second was that the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) should leave Somalia because it has failed to stop Al-Shabaab’s attacks in and on Kenya.

But, I said, before KDF returns we must have in place an intelligence-led security strategy that protects Kenyans from within their borders and keeps Al-Shabaab and sundry jihadists, drug peddlers, human and drugs traffickers and poachers out of Kenya. I added that this strategy must be implemented by reformed law enforcement apparatuses. So, what has happened since?

Though, Mr Joseph ole Lenku, the man who was in charge of internal security, and Mr David Kimaiyo, who was in charge of the police, were sent packing on Tuesday, I stand by my statements.

The President gave in to intense public pressure and sacked one and asked the other to resign when, in under a week, terrorists slaughtered more than 60 innocent Kenyans in Mandera County.

We do not know as yet who will replace Mr Kimaiyo as the Inspector General of Police (IG), but it is a safe bet that the Member of Parliament for Kajiado Central Joseph Nkaiserry will quit the National Assembly and be confirmed by the Parliamentary Committee on Appointments as the new Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Interior and Coordination of National Government.

WHAT TO EXPECT

What does the exit of Mr Lenku and entry of Mr Nkaiserry and whoever will be the new IG mean for Kenya’s under-pressure security apparatuses? What should Kenyans expect from the new brooms? Simple. Kenyans expect that their country will be free of Al-Shabaab elements and that those outside their borders will never again enter Kenya.

Kenyans expect that cattle rustlers, perpetrators of ethnic conflicts, possessors of illegal guns, plotters of violent crime, poachers, paedophiles, pornographers, pickpockets, narco-traffickers, terrorists, name them, will be on police radar any time and all the time.

The public expects that when arrested and charged, there will be sufficient evidence to send these elements to jail for long periods. Kenyans want security. That is what they demanded of Mr Lenku and Mr Kimaiyo.

Kenyans do not expect Mr Nkaiserry and the next IG to fail them. For Mr Nkaiserry and the next IG, the point of departure must be a hard and long look at the police service. Mr Kimaiyo contended that the service was under-resourced.

But observers contest that standpoint and counter that the service had in the last 18 months 2,700 extra (leased) vehicles at its disposal.

DEPLOYMENT

They point out that the procurement procedures had been streamlined to ensure that the service acquired relevant equipment and of better quality. And, they say, the service, unlike days gone by, had insurance cover. What that should bring to the minds of Mr Nkaiserry and the next IG is the question of the deployment of the human and physical assets of the service. To what use are the extra vehicles at the disposal of the service put?

Who are the senior officers in the conflict prone areas in the north, coast, Rift Valley and south of the country? What are their mandates and what the measurable targets given them? Who are the men and women under their command and what relevant equipment do they have to execute their briefs? Put another way, Mr Nkaiserry must ask and answer one important question as he embarks on making a difference to Kenya’s security apparatuses and situation.

Are the men and women and the resources available put to smart, prudent and maximum use to ensure a secure and safe Kenya? Mr Nkaiserry and the next IG, must re-organise, re-organise and re-organise.

When re-organising, they must remember that the service will fail or succeed depending on the intelligence at its disposal. They must invest plenty in gathering of intelligence, surveillance, under-cover operations and infiltration of crime syndicates.

And, CS designate, please compare notes with fellow Major General Hussein Ali. He was Commissioner of Police when the late John Michuki was the Minister for Internal Security.
They formed a ruthless and fearsome, but successful team that put the dreaded Mungiki militia out of commission. No, don’t recommend that he be hired because already some of us are worried that policing is increasingly being militarised.

Sir, having previously protected our borders, now design a strategy to guarantee us our security within our borders.

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