NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 24- Top security officials have started an evaluation exercise on the country’s level of safety and preparedness, ahead of the August general elections.
The review also covered the extent of the terror threat posed by Al-Shabaab militants during the electioneering period.
“We call on everyone to be vigilant,” Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiangi said on Monday, after the meeting held at the Capital, Nairobi.
Matiang’i said the review was similar to the ones that happened in 2017, just to ensure the environment is conducive for campaigns and subsequently the actual voting.
Parts of Kenya’s coast and Northern Kenya have experienced pockets of terror-related attacks.
For example, in Lamu, more than 10 people including security officers have been killed in weeks.
“We have heightened our security along the Kenya-Somalia border,” he said.
“We are asking our people to be more cautious of their environment. This is a collective responsibility that we have. The challenge of terrorism is real.”
This led to the declaration of 30-day dusk to dawn curfew, in areas declared as troubled.
Sections of Rift Valley are also troubled due to bandit attacks.
The Interior Cabinet Secretary further urged politicians to shun inciting the public, as they hunt for votes.
“The various political groups have fairly spread across the country…and therefore, we are better off than we have been in the past,” he said.
He however decried that a section of politicians were engaging in bribing the youth and making false promises.
“If the political leaders refrain in some of those criminal acts, we would not have anything to worry about. The country remains safe,” Matiang’i said.
“We will continue to be vigilant.”
With a section of political violence incidents attributed to false promises made by politicians, the CS cautioned that “It is not upon police officers to mediate bribery contracts. And it is not the job of police officers to follow up on false promises made by politicians and mediate conflicts arising from those false promises. It is upon political leaders to conduct themselves decently and manage their affairs effectively.”
He said already a multi-agency team has been set up to ensure the national security is not compromised.
He said the security agencies will be deployed in political campaigns to detect and document criminal activities during such events.
In January, he said the security agencies have only recorded 4 incidents of electoral violence.
Most of the violence he said was a result of fights over alleged briberies.
On the claims of state-sponsored violence against Deputy President William Ruto-led UDA party, he said there are is no single incident recorded in any police station across the country.
“We urge our security officers across the country to continue working firmly without fear and favour,” he said.
“Our officers should not be intimidated by anything.”
He urged politicians to restrain themselves against attacking public officers during their campaigns.
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