Interior and National Administration CS Kipchumba Murkomen said Wednesday politicians are the biggest security threat facing the country at the moment.
He said the culture of leaders taking advantage of vulnerable youth to advance their politics by endangering the lives of Kenyans through goonism has reached worrying levels.
Murkomen said these errant politicians will be dealt with firmly without regard to their political affiliation.
“The emergence of political goons and gangs is a national security threat. Picketing has also been used by politicians to cause chaos, instead of people registering their descent without destruction,” said the CS.
He was speaking at the National Police College Embakasi ‘A’ and Embakasi ‘B’ Campuses where he assessed the progress of recruit training as well as ongoing capacity building for serving officers.
“Unfortunately, politicians are the greatest threat to security now.
They recruit young people as goons and gangs and this has been getting worse over the years,” added the CS.
He said protests had unfortunately resulted in chaos and anarchy.
“The pattern is worrying for the nation where attackers target security installations like the police stations and Parliament,” said the CS.
Murkomen said the National Police Service has revised its curriculum to respond to this and other emerging challenges.
“The NPS is retooling and reskilling officers to ensure we give Kenyans the best including crowd control and management capabilities, “ he added.
“The training our police recruits undergo has been carefully designed to equip them with the necessary knowledge, skills and mindset to safeguard peace and protect lives and property.”
Meanwhile, the CS ordered a thorough probe into the Embu county incident, where public protests resulted in loss of life.
“I am happy that the IG, Douglas Kanja, has sent top investigators from the headquarters to probe the matter,” said the CS, cautioning that police brutality will not be tolerated.
He directed that officers found culpable will be held to account and stressed the importance of continuous training to align with the current security concerns.
“We are revamping regional colleges and centres of excellence to ensure our officers can access regular training with ease.” he said.
“We are revamping regional colleges and centres of excellence to ensure our officers can access regular training with ease.” he said.
While addressing over 7000 recruits at the GSU training college, Embakasi B campus, Murkomen expressed concern on the emerging security trends, saying the National Police Service has revised the training syllabus to address the same.
“The NPS is retooling and rekitting officers and also the recruits to ensure we give Kenyans the best including crowd control and management, “stated Murkomen.
The CS emphasized the importance of continuous training to align with the current changing times globally.
He also announced the revival of the regional training centre and centres of excellence to provide continuous refresher trainings for officers.
He further highlighted some of the major initiatives the ministry is undertaking to address issues of HR, Health, infrastructure, ICT modernisation and mobility.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) said it is investigating the incident where two people sustained fatal gunshot injuries, while others suffered various injuries as police allegedly made efforts to restore public order.
“In line with the provisions of the IPOA Act, which mandates the Authority to investigate deaths and injuries occasioned by police action, a Rapid Response Team has this morning been dispatched to the area with instructions to gather all relevant information to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
“Where fault is established, the Authority shall make appropriate recommendations, including but not limited to prosecution,” vice chairperson Ann Wanjiku Mwangi said.
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