Investment in security is yielding dividends

Newly acquired police vehicles at Uhuru Park in Nairobi on January 15, 2017. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Today, there is ample evidence of a government-driven holistic approach to reforming the homeland security.
  • A few more years in this direction and we shall reclaim our global standing of the 1970s and early 1980s.
  • We are not there yet in terms of remuneration and structural and administrative reforms, but as the saying goes, “Rome was not built in a day”. 

In less than two months, the United Kingdom has suffered three terrorist attacks in which dozens of people have been killed and hundreds injured. This is a chilling reminder of how unsafe the world has become today.

Over the past few years, hundreds of people have died in Europe in a series of terrorist attacks. Indeed, Kenya is no stranger to this modern-day religion-driven plague. To reduce our national vulnerability to terrorism, the government has invested tremendously in enhancing security in the past four years.

Giving priority to investment in the national security sector could well be one of this administration’s most enduring legacies. And the dividends have not been slow in coming; terrorist attacks have significantly reduced, both in scope and frequency. By any means, the soft targets are no more.

CURRENT ADMINISTRATION

No past administration did more to bolster our internal security than the current one. In logistics, billions have been spent on equipment to arm, protect and transport our security personnel over the past four years. In terms of police welfare, the government has fulfilled the dreams of many. Truth be told, those of us who have served our countrymen and women in this dangerous career saw the implementation of a comprehensive medical scheme as the preserve of private sector corporates. Today, police officers and their families enjoy one of the best medical schemes in the country. Less than five years ago, it was impossible to visualise a Nairobi where every street and highway would be on 24-hour closed circuit television network surveillance, complete with a modern command and control centre. Movement has everything to do with police operations whether an officer is responding to an emergency or simply carrying out patrols. The boosting of the police fleet with more than 5,000 new motor vehicles and enhancing street lighting in all the major towns is yet another leap forward.

PRINCIPAL BENEFICIARY

As the trickle-down effect gains momentum, the principal beneficiary will be the ordinary citizen, who deserves to have stolen property recovered and restored to the lawful owner, big and small criminals expeditiously arrested and prosecuted. The ultimate should be to create an environment where all can enjoy their fundamental freedoms and human rights without fear of crime and criminals. This is the template against which police officers must see the justification of current and future investments in their welfare.  Previously, police reforms were limited to meetings in big hotels, public declarations during campaigns and a cacophony of incoherent pronouncements from the NGO world. Most of us were actually giving up on witnessing any tangible moves in our lifetime: There was simply no political will to invest in this critical sector.

AMPLE EVIDENCE

Today, there is ample evidence of a government-driven holistic approach to reforming the homeland security. A few more years in this direction and we shall reclaim our global standing of the 1970s and early 1980s, when the internal security machinery was rated as the best in Africa and actually one of the best in the Commonwealth. 

While the government focuses more on investing in police remuneration, living and working conditions, police officers must self-evaluate to ensure that the quality, quantity and speed of services can visibly justify the increased investment.

Indeed, we are not there yet in terms of remuneration and structural and administrative reforms, but as the saying goes, “Rome was not built in a day”.  At long last, the dividends of positive change have started trickling down into this hitherto forgotten pillar of our social and economic development.

Eric Kiraithe is the national government spokesman.