Police spend Sh300m on new model Subaru vehicles

 


Former President Kibaki leaves Harambee House escorted by security officials after a past event. Some of the Japanese vehicles will be dispatched to the presidential escort, which has hitherto used Mercedes Benz. Photo/FILE

The police force has spent over Sh300 million on new vehicles.
In what seems to be a peculiar shift of allegiance, the police have settled for the latest Subaru Forester model, a departure from the Land Rover and Land Cruiser.

Presidential escort

“The latest Forester, the 2014 model, was actually given the best rating in terms of stability, speed and strength, which makes it the best fit for security operations in the country,” said a top official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Some of the Japanese vehicles will be dispatched to the presidential escort, which has hitherto used Mercedes Benz.

A State House official said although the new Subarus were yet to be delivered, the government was prepared to spend money for the best cars.

“Even if it were a 5,000 litre car, we wouldn’t mind if it enhanced security in the country,” the official said.

This is the first time Subaru Kenya is making inroads into the government supply chain.

Police used Indian Mahindras in the 1990s but the cars failed them badly, resulting in the shift to Land Rovers and Land Cruisers.

However, presenting his 2013/14 budget in Parliament, National Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich said Sh3 billion had been allocated for the hire of more than 1,200 vehicles to boost police operations.

“We have set aside Sh67 billion for modern security equipment in the National Police Service. Security must prevail in the whole country,” he said.

The development comes in the wake of some Cabinet Secretaries and members of constitutional commissions overlooking government austerity measures and buying expensive limousines.

Top officials have bought at least 30 Mercedes Benz vehicles in the last one month alone.

Some of them have also irregularly allocated themselves security chase cars, a move which drew a lot of criticism from the Treasury but no action has been taken so far.