NAKURU, Kenya, Aug, 2 – Eight suspects are in police custody in connection with the hate leaflets that have recently been circulated in parts of the Rift Valley region.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i said the suspects who are set to be arraigned in court were arrested through a multi-agency operation even as police intensified the hunt for more of their accomplices.
Speaking in Molo in Nakuru County after chairing a meeting with heads of the regional security team, Dr. Matiang’i said the investigations will be extended to the masterminds of the leaflets whose content warns members of certain communities of retributions if they fail to elect particular leaders.
“Police have got eight suspects in custody in connection with the circulation of those leaflets, and investigations continue. We have teams on the ground that have been working here for a long time, and we are collecting more intelligence in real time,” he said.
Authorities believe the leaflets’ objective is to spread fear and coerce voters into voting for some leaders as an ‘insurance’ against ethnic-laced violence in an area with a history of election-related bloody clashes.
The CS dismissed claims that the government had a hand in the leaflets saying none of the suspects arrested so far worked for the State. He also allayed fears of violence around the election period saying more resources including air and ground surveillance had been allocated to traditional and emerging hotspots such as Eldoret and its environs, Molo and Kuresoi.
He said in line with the National Security Council recommendation and intelligence briefs, the government has increased the number of police officers and other resources deployed to secure the elections across the country.
“You’re going to see increased deployment and patrol of our GSU teams here just to be ready for the elections. They are not here for any particular aggression; they’re here to assure and demonstrate to wananchi that we are ready to rise up to any challenge that may come up.”
With 14 counties and several security flashpoints,the Rift Valley is the most expansive region with unique policing challenges linked to the election season.
The CS further announced that a multi-agency command centre has been established in Nakuru to coordinate harmonized responses to arising issues linked to next week’s poll.
Direct phone contact lines have been made public for any Kenyan to interact with the security chiefs and share information on any issue that requires urgent response.
Security officers have also been directed to document utterances and activities meant to incite the public in real-time. The CS said such records will facilitate prosecution of the culprits and deliver accountability for crimes including incitement to violence.
The CS also warned political leaders against making inflammatory remarks saying some of the comments could return to haunt their source in the future.
“Some people think that they will make certain statements or do certain things now with the hope that after the elections we will forget. Some of these crimes are not covered or affected by the statute of limitation. You can be prosecuted two years from now for some of the things that you are engaging in at the moment,” he stated.
In response to the allegations against the President for allegedly threatening harm to his deputy and his supporters, the CS called on leaders to refrain from irresponsible politics that may fan ethnic tensions and hostilities.
Dr. Matiang’i further rubbished claims that chiefs and assistant chiefs were being coerced to support and campaign for the Azimio presidential candidate Hon. Raila Odinga. He defended the meetings as ‘normal’ and ‘regular’ and likened them to interactions between his Health and Education counterparts’ engagements with doctors and teachers respectively.
The meeting at the Mary Mount Girls Secondary School was also attended by the General Service Unit Commandant Douglas Kanja and the Rift Valley Regional Commissioner MaalimMohammed among others.
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