As Kenya reels from news of yet another al Shabaab attack, this time killing five police officers in Mandera, Interior CS Joseph Nkaissery acknowledges that terror is the nation's biggest security threat, but says he is satisfied with the state of security. He spoke to political editor Paul Ilado.
How has it been like for you since your appointment in December 2014?
It has been difficult but I'm happy we have made good progress. The President gave me clear instructions on what he expected of me, so the first thing I did was to take the first 90 days studying how things worked and what needed to be changed.
What is your biggest achievement so far?
The biggest achievement is being able to bring all security agencies to work together in a coordinated way. That is now giving Kenyans the best service. The next biggest thing was to tackle corruption, and so I have removed people I suspected were engaged in graft, especially in procurement. The President was very empathic that the bad image of his office had to be removed.
What do you think of police vetting?
You must understand that people are working to earn livings, improve their lives and guarantee their survival. Some of the officers have worked for 30 years. So when you get people with money in their account, it is not from corruption. We have to get that out of our minds.
There are some who cannot account for the wealth they have. That is where we should demand to know how they got that kind of money. I do not think the vetting is being carried out to determine corruption. First of all, I do not believe in that vetting myself as Cabinet Secretary. I do not believe at all. I do not believe that somebody who has been vetted for 30 years should be vetted for the same job. I do not believe in the team that is vetting because those people have not undergone police training. I believe somebody who should vet me in my profession should be a professional like me. The National Police Service Commission's vetting board should have been composed of police officers themselves, and we can bring in other people to do lifestyle audits on how people acquired whatever they have.
The vetting should be about suitability, not corruption. How do you expect an officer who has been doing that job for 30 years not to be suitable? To vet such an officer is a mockery. We should have created have created another mechanism of weeding out corrupt officers.
Should [NPSC chairman Johnston] Kavuludi's team be disbanded?
The NPSC's mandate is really employment. To get to the level of superintendent, you must have gone through a lot of tests. Discipline issues are the responsibility of the inspector general, deputy IGs and the chain of command. It looks to me that someone is usurping the powers of somebody else. This is something we are going to look into because there is a lot of hue and cry emanating from this vetting. Sometimes that vetting is embarrassing.
What, then, is the right way to vet?
Vetting should be done when one is entering the force for the first time. That is where your criminal record should be checked and your suitability confirmed, in terms of health and other things. As you are progressing through training and work, the service board should determine other things, like your continuous suitability, progress and suitability for promotion.
Are you satisfied with the general state of security?
Yes, I'm satisfied. All security organs, the police, APs (Administration Police), and the NIS (National Intelligence Service) are properly coordinated and performing well.
What is the biggest security challenge at the moment?
Terrorism, because it is not conventional. It comes without any warning, despite the intelligence. We are doing our best, but this unpredictable. We have the NIS and the military intelligence working closely together with foreign intelligence agencies to deal with global threats. With their help, we have taken out some al Shaabab leaders.
Have police dealt with anti-IEBC demonstrations well?
I'm very satisfied with the police because they have been protecting citizens from violent demonstrators. What Cord has been doing is not peaceful demonstrations. You cannot come to demonstrations with machetes and slings, block roads and loot people's businesses.
See what happened in Kisumu. They threw 1,000 stones at the police station. How do you expect the police to react? I regret that life was lost. There was no other choice because, as you know, police do not carry stones to defend themselves, so they used bullets.
We can, however, not prove that these people who were killed were shot by the police because some demonstrators were also armed. We have now issued a directive that all gun-holders must apply afresh for certificates so we know how many Kenyans are armed.
What, in your view, is the real intention of the demonstrations?
These demonstrations are not aimed at the removing the IEBC. This is a revolution in the making. As Interior CS, I will never allow it. That is why beginning last week, we have decided to arrest anyone who engages in hate speech. That is why you have seen eight MPs face charges in court.
What makes you call it a revolution?
If you have a legal process and you are avoiding that legal process, you want a violent approach, what does that mean? Are you saying there is no government in place? Are you not challenging the constitutional or legality of the government of the day? If really IEBC is the issue, why don't you follow the law in your quest to remove the commissioners, who are in office legally?
People think Kenya is a very weak country and you can repeat what happened in Libya and Egypt here. That is the thinking of these fellows of Cord. It is high time Kenyans are told that this is a revolution in the making and the government will not allow it. We will expose them soon. We are gathering all the documentary evidence and will tell you more.
Is that why government spokesman Eric Kiraithe claimed neighbouring countries are funding Cord to topple the Kenyatta administration?
I have never heard Kiraithe say that, unless I was absent from Kenya. I do not believe anybody could say that. It could also be propaganda by the opposition.
You have been accused of dictatorship. Are you a dictator?
I'm a military-trained person and very disciplined. I believe in defending everyone's rights. I have never been a dictator and I will never be. I'm accused because I follow the law to the letter. Once you break the law I will deal with you without mercy. That is why I do not regret police arresting any politician for breaking the law.
I'm a very kind and friendly person. My training gives me the chance to be helpful to people. I just want people to understand that this job calls for big decisions, some that may not very pleasant to some people.
Do you think you are misunderstood?
For those who do not know me, they misunderstand me. I'm not a bad guy but I'm a bad guy if you break the law.
Is there any decision you regret so far?
I believe decisiveness is a quality and once you make a decision and something happens, you do not regret as a leader. However, having said that, Garrissa University incident was a very low moment for me. I do regret that the people on the ground should have given that institution better security especially. We have since taken action, especially on the people who should have acted.
Where do you want to take this ministry in the next one year?
My vision is to have a highly trained team in all units under this ministry that is very loyal and keeps Kenyans safe. We want to give the officers the best training to ensure the system is always functioning. I will tell Kenyans today that their nation is secure.
Source
No comments:
Post a Comment