NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 29- President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday at State House, Nairobi met senior internal security officials drawn from the National Government Administration Office (NGAO) and the National Police Service (NPS).
The Head of State and the officials, who included Regional and County Commissioners, and their NPS counterparts at the same level, discussed a wide array of national security subjects.
The President is said to have urged the security officers to remain true to their duty and more so now when the country is in an electioneering period.
The President is serving his second and final term and is rushing against time to secure a legacy.
But that is not without a myriad of challenges that include insecurity. It is a meeting that coincidentally came a few hours after foreign embassies in Kenya including the United States, issued security alerts over potential terror attacks in the country.
The National Police Service spokesperson Bruno Shioso on Friday said that security had been heightened across the country.
It is not however clear whether the foreign embassies had shared intelligence with NPS since Shioso said he had only come across the said information on social media platforms.
“The National Police Service assures the public that security in the country has been scaled up through different policing operations,” he said.
“We urge the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities through our toll-free numbers; 999, 112, 08007222203.”
The security officers were also asked to protect national installations like roads, the Standard Gauge Railway, and Kenya Power from vandals.
A myriad of measures has since been adopted including a ban on scrap metal trade. Rogue traders are said to be behind the runaway vandalism in the country.
Recently, the country was struck into darkness after major lines collapsed after being vandalized. A major crackdown is set to kick off across the country, targeting rogue traders linked to vandalism.
During the State House meeting, Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i and senior security chiefs thanked President Kenyatta for the support their formations receive from the Government including improved welfare and assured the Head of State of their commitment to continue discharging their mandate professionally.
On his part, President Kenyatta thanked the security chiefs for ensuring sustained peace and tranquility in the country and assured the officials of continued Government backing especially in this period leading up to the forthcoming general election.
At the meeting also attended by Head of Public Service Dr. Joseph Kinyua, Interior PS Dr. Karanja Kibicho, and CAS Hussein Dado, the President also spoke about the country’s Covid-19 response progress and urged the officials to assist in accelerating the ongoing voluntary vaccination exercise.
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