History is on Philip Kameru’s side as he takes over spy job

Following the naming of a new head of the National Intelligence Service, reports have it that insiders within the agency are unhappy with the appointment of an “outsider”.
This is expected, but it is something that will fizzle out considering that Maj-Gen Philip Kameru is known within military circles as a gentleman whose working relationship with his peers and juniors is purely on merit and professionalism and is result-oriented.

The big question as Mr Kameru prepares to take up the coveted job is, should “outsiders” head spy agencies? Many big organisations, both government and private, look beyond home-grown leadership as the focus is on service.

As for government organs, the question is, how will you improve services based on the organisation’s mission? For a spy agency, the primary objective is to provide accurate, timely, reliable and actionable intelligence.

This, of course, will depend on the Head of State and other key security organs such as the military, foreign affairs, the National Police Service and other government agencies because intelligence focuses on the political, economic and security pillars of the state.

APPOINTED BUSH

It is normal for an “outsider” to head a spy agency. This has happened in many democratic countries in the world. A good example is the US. In the early 70s, the Central Intelligence Agency was caught in a series of scandals that badly tainted its image.

The worst was the Watergate scandal where the agency secretly recorded Democrats’ activities to give mileage to the Republicans. Faced with this mess, President Richard Nixon, who had just taken over from Mr Gerald Ford after his resignation, appointed George Bush (Snr) to head the Central Intelligence Agency.

Bush was a diplomat who had served as American ambassador to the United Nations and China. Many queried his appointment considering that the agency had many senior officers who had gone up through the ranks. But President Nixon stuck to his guns on the grounds that the agency needed a fresh impetus.

Bush served for a year but managed to turn around the agency, winning the confidence of Americans. Based on his instant achievements as director, Bush ran against the former governor of California, Mr Ronald Reagan, for the Republican presidential nomination in 1980 and lost but became his vice-president for two terms.

WIDELY EXPERIENCED

There are many other good examples of “outsiders” heading intelligence organs with many successes. In Kenya, Wilson Boinett came from military intelligence and took over a much feared and tainted Special Branch. He went ahead and turned round the organisation.

Mr Kameru is the right man for the job. He is conversant with all key fields of intelligence — communication intelligence, human intelligence and counter intelligence. He is an accomplished administrator, a polished scholar and is widely experienced in interaction with foreign intelligence agencies by virtue of his position as the former Director of Military Intelligence.

Twalib Mbarak is a retired military officer and a Certified Security Management Consultant. [email protected].

Otieno Otieno’s column resumes next week.