A lot was achieved under the stewardship of late Nkaiserry

**The late Interior and National Co-ordination Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery**

Last Saturday, the curtain fell on one of the most efficient Cabinet secretaries in Kenya today. Interior and National Co-ordination Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery breathed his last, hours after attending the Saba Saba rally at Uhuru Park on Friday, an event at which he looked quite healthy and hearty. Understandably, it is his exuberance, his dedication to work and lack of any documented illness that has triggered speculation on the cause of his death.

That, however, is a perilous path that Kenyans need not travel as the country patiently awaits conclusive results from an autopsy and police investigations into the possible cause of death. Across the political divide, leaders who have sent their messages of condolence have praised Nkaissery's commitment to his work. Indeed, Kalonzo Musyoka pointed out that behind the tough veneer that Nkaissery presented, there was a gentle soul. That is how Kenyans should be encouraged to remember him.

Nkaissery took control of the Internal Security docket at a time when the country had come under repeated attacks from the Somalia-based Al Shabaab militants. Save for the large-scale slaughter of 147 students at Garissa University on April 2, 2015, Nkaissery had somehow managed to prevent large-scale incursions by the terrorist group.

The police department has witnessed a complete makeover under the watch of Nkaiserry; what with the purchase of much-needed purchase of helicopters and police vehicles, including Armoured Personnel Carriers for the fight against Al Shabaab. He also ensured the police, for the first time, got a health insurance cover.

There was a lot riding on Nkaiserry's shoulders that must not be allowed to wither away in his absence. That President Kenyatta immediately appointed Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi to oversee the running of the ministry in an acting capacity to preclude a leadership vacuum stresses the need for strong institutions that are not entirely dependent on the person at the top for success.

The best send-off gift Kenyans can give Nkaissery is to observe the harmonious existence he incessantly advocated for, especially now that politics of ethnicity dominate political campaigns as we draw closer to the polls.