Governors, Nkaissery fail to strike deal on fighting crime

Interior CS Joseph Nkaissery. The tug-of-war between county and national government leaders on how to combat ethnic and terrorist attacks heightened on May 20, 2015 after representatives of the two traded accusations over how to improve security in their regions. FILE PHOTO | DIANA NGILA | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• Whereas governors were pushing to be given a greater role, including chairing county security committees, Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery accused them of not doing enough with the money they had been allocated.
• Governors who spoke at the meeting said that if they were involved in national security matters, such reports would have been forwarded to relevant authorities to prevent attacks.
• Governors had cited poor roads as one of the main causes of insecurity in the northern parts of the country where security personnel cannot access remote areas to fight bandits.

By MUCHEMI WACHIRA
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The tug-of-war between county and national government leaders on how to combat ethnic and terrorist attacks heightened on Wednesday after representatives of the two traded accusations over how to improve security in their regions.

Whereas governors were pushing to be given a greater role, including chairing county security committees, Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery accused them of not doing enough with the money they had been allocated.

The county security committees are chaired by county commissioners, who are representatives of the national government. Governors have been seeking unsuccessfully to take over this role, saying they are better placed to handle security challenges in their regions. They have also, in the past, asked to be put in charge of Administration Police officers in their counties.

Yesterday, Mr Nkaissery said some of the regional heads had decided not to use money given to them by the national government to protect people and their property in their regions.

“Why are you a governor of cattle rustlers?” he asked the forum convened by the Council of Governors (CoG) in Nairobi to debate how the two levels of government could collaborate to fight insecurity, including terrorist attacks that have led to a slump in tourism.

NOT DOING ENOUGH

However, the governors said the national government was not doing enough either. They cited the Garissa University College attack, in which 148 people were killed last month, saying that intelligence about the impending attack had not been acted on.

“Security is not a matter of one government, as it affects us all. So there must be consultation between us and the national government if we want our country to be safe,” said Tana River Governor Hussein Dado, who also chairs the CoG Security committee.

Governors who spoke at the meeting said that if they were involved in national security matters, such reports would have been forwarded to relevant authorities to prevent attacks.

A consultant, Mr Simiyu Werunga, who is also the director-general of the African Centre for Security & Strategic Studies, had told the meeting that Kenya lacked a clear national security policy.

“All matters of national security are pegged on the central government and there is a gap on what role governors should play,” he said.

Mr Nkaissery told off the governors and reminded them that counties have every right to work with the national government to address insecurity.

Quoting the Constitution, he said the two levels of government were allowed to form committees and authorities to tackle emerging crimes.

He also reminded the governors that the law has given them the authority to deal with all crimes by presenting a report to the Inspector-General of police. They had also been given money to fight terrorism, he said.

“I request you to use such money (for fighting terrorism) to hold county sensitisation forums instead of taking MCAs (members of County Assemblies) for trips abroad,” he said.

GIVE OUT MOTORBIKES

He, however, said his ministry would give all chiefs and their assistants motorbikes to help them in holding barazas in their areas and educate the public on security. He also asked governors to start holding such barazas.

Governors had cited poor roads as one of the main causes of insecurity in the northern parts of the country where security personnel cannot access remote areas to fight bandits.

However, Mr Nkaissery responded by saying building good roads was one of the responsibilities of county governments.

“Let’s be candid, even you – you cannot lead your people unless you make roads for them,” he told the governors and challenged them to stop blaming the government over crimes like cattle rustling.

“A governor cannot talk to his people and tell them that cattle rustling is an outdated culture?” he asked. “If you can’t do this, the next thing is for us (the national government) to come to your place and take all those illegal guns.”

PEACE COMMITTEES

However, Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi, whose region is among those hard hit by banditry and ethnic violence, said: “What the minister should understand is that cattle rustling is a problem of poverty and marginalisation, which the governor cannot manage to fight.”

But Mr Nkaissery said a governor was best placed to address resource-based conflicts and inter-ethnic or clan rivalries witnessed in areas like Marsabit and Mandera counties.

“Let them form peace committee and put up police posts in hotspot areas,” he said.

He dismissed complaints by Garissa Governor Nathif Jama that youths in his county were resorting to radicalisation for being denied identity cards by the national government.

In his reply, Mr Nkaissery said some governors only want youths to have IDs for their own survival in the next elections.

One must have an identity card to be eligible to vote. In border counties, issuance of IDs is complicated by foreigners seeking to be issued with the documents that also confer citizenship.