House team to summon Kabogo, security heads over militia allegations

A parliamentary committee has resolved to summon Kiambu Governor William Kabogo over claims that he has sponsored a private militia and influenced police in his county to intimidate and harass MPs.

Members of the Administration and National Security Committee said the governor and the heads of the security agencies should appear before it to respond to the allegations made by Kiambu residents.

The allegations were sent to the National Assembly through a petition handed in by Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wa, who is among politicians from the county at loggerheads with the governor.

MPs on the committee warned of politically instigated violence in the run-up to the General Election next year due to the governors, some of whom have reportedly funded the re-emergence of the proscribed Mungiki group.

With governors having more money at their disposal than the police, they said, this has made them have influence over the security agencies, which in some cases often lack funds for basic services such as fuel for their vehicles.

This, they said, has been seen in Kiambu, Murang’a, Turkana, Mombasa and Malindi counties.

Mr Ichung’wa described the various incidents where he said the armed militias, backed by the police and some employees of the Kiambu County government, have clashed with the MPs and their supporters.

He asked the committee to expand its investigations to other parts of the country such as the Coast, where he said the militias’ exploits were evident in the skirmishes during the Malindi by-election.

“My worry is that in the run-up to elections, if you allow impunity to reign, the 2007 and 2008 violence will look like a children’s dance,” he added.

He asked the committee to invite Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery and Inspector-General of Police Joseph Boinnet to tell them how many Kiambu County government workers and members of the staff are armed.

“The militia is not just backed by the governor. It is managed and funded by the county government and the governor himself,” Mr Ichung'wa added.

Mr Ichung’wa said Mr Boinnet appeared to have lost control of the Administration Police officers who work in Kiambu.

The Kikuyu MP was backed by Lagdera MP Mohammed Shidiye, who said he had seen governors involved in the skirmishes in Malindi, which involved some armed employees of the county governments.

RE-EMERGENCE OF MUNGIKI SECT

"There will be no election in 2017 if we continue like this,” said Mr Shidiye. “What he (Mr Ichung’wa) said is just at the surface. There are deeper issues.”

Lari MP Mburu Kahangara said that in Kiambu, the rise of the militia has resulted in the re-emergence of the Mungiki sect, a source of worry ahead of the General Election, when political activity increases.

Kandara MP Alice Wahome said there has been a similar case in Murang’a, where militias accompanied Governor Mwangi wa Iria and gate-crashed an event that the Deputy President was scheduled to attend.

MPs Francis Mwangangi (Yatta, Muungano), Protus Akuja (Loima, ODM) and Grace Kiptui (Baringo Woman Rep, URP) also backed the proposal to have the top security heads meet the committee.

Ababu Namwamba (Budalang’i, ODM) said everyone named by Mr Ichung’wa would need to respond to the allegations.

“We have the constitutional mandate to summon here Governor Kabogo and everybody else who has been mentioned here,” he said, referring to the provision in the Constitution that gives parliamentary committees powers of the High Court to call for evidence and summon witnesses.

He said the issue of militias and misuse of guns had arisen in the House before.

“If we’re saying that we have allowed governors to become little tin gods, creating 47 centres of violence, it is a serious indictment of the national government,” he added.