No ethnic or religious profiling in crackdown

The ongoing crackdown on criminals across the county is not targeting any particular community or religious group but individuals who have been causing mayhem and terrorising Kenyans.

The operation is aimed at restoring law and order and it is unfortunate that some Kenyans have trivialised the exercise to the view that it is aimed at certain religious groups and members of one particular community.

Those arrested are from different communities in Kenya and foreigners who do not posses legal documents to be in the country. The operation is being done professionally and those who conduct the operation need not be criticised for what they have done in efforts to weed out criminal elements in the society.

However, some leaders have taken this action out of proportion to imply that the operation has taken a religious dimension as well as undermining professional careers of Government officers by criticising their efforts in the fight against crime.

The fact that they held previous positions in other sectors does not mean that they cannot effectively head the security docket. In any case, this is a collective responsibility of all Kenyans to uphold peace and report any acts of lawlessness to security agencies.

At the same time, religious affiliations of all Kenyans have been respected during the operation as contained in the Constitution. We all have our religious backgrounds and possibly positions in the religious leadership which has nothing to do with fighting crime.

The terrorists who have been harassing Kenyans live amongst us and the ongoing exercise is aimed at ensuring that Kenyans have conducive environment to carry out their daily activities without any form of harassment.

The leaders need to give constructive criticism and not to shift blame when it comes to such matters of security.

It is high time that we differentiate between religious and tribal affiliations in the fight against crime. All Kenyans have a right to security and to live in any part of the country.

For Mr Ahmednassir Abdullahi to therefore claim in his article which appeared in Sunday Nation that Kenyan Somalis are treated like second–class citizens shows that he is misinterpreting facts about the operation.

It is also preposterous for the lawyer to claim there is violation of human rights by security officers without giving evidence. We care for those in custody and anybody with evidence of violation of human rights should report to the relevant authorities instead of issuing or writing alarming statements which can create hatred and animosity.

I urge Mr Abdullahi to meditate over his remarks and join other Kenyans in the ongoing crusade against insecurity.

Mr Kimaiyo is Inspector General of Police