Fight over politicians’ money giving our police officers a hard time – Fred Matiang’i

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i says that the scramble for campaign funds by the youth is straining the security personnel.

Speaking at a meeting with the Interfaith Council on the Security arrangements ahead of the August 9 polls, the CS lamented that the government spends a lot of resources on crowd-management, as members of the public fight over campaign cash.

“Premature campaigns and conflicts around crowds mobilisation and sharing of campaign bribes are straining available security resources as more resources have to be committed to containing or resolving related disputes,” he said during his address at the Ufungamano House on Friday, April 1.

Matiang’i also asked the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to strictly adhere to the official campaign calendar to spare the country the agony of prolonged and costly campaigns.

“Prolonged campaign season is hurting the economy and families, as prime time and resources that could be utilised in productive ventures are being squandered in politics,” he said.

Matiang’i added that the logistical arrangements are already in place ahead of the political parties’ primaries.

He added that the government will prioritise inter-community peace-building initiatives to complement ongoing security operations in Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, Garissa and other insecurity-prone zones.

At the same time, Matinag’i challenged the clergy to engage the Judiciary in the adjudication of cases involving politicians.

The clergy, on their part, asked the CS to deploy more security officers to the counties experiencing insecurity.

The men of cloth also want the police to be impartial during the elections.