Matiang’i summons meeting with security chiefs over state of security

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i is expected to meet senior officials in Nairobi today to discuss the state of security in the country.

Those invited include regional commissioners, regional police commanders and various departmental directors under his ministry.

Officials said the meeting would be held at the Kenya School of Government in Lower Kabete.

This will be the second such meeting this year as Dr Matiang'i seeks to set the agenda for the ministry.

Cases of insecurity have been fluctuating since the beginning of the year as the CS pushed police commanders to come up with new strategies to combat crime.

In February, he caused disquiet among senior police officers when he directed them to start working under county commissioners.

Fighting crime

While police bosses protested that the law was clear on their chain of command, Matiang'i insisted it was a new way of fighting crime.

“County Commissioners are the co-ordinators of all national government activities in the counties. There is no need for a police officer to say, 'I have to consult my boss on this and that,'" he said.

He told police commanders to direct their juniors to work closely with national government officers to fight illicit brews, illegal gambling, muggings and land grabbing.

Under the Constitution, top police officers report to the Inspector General of Police, in reforms meant to protect independence.

But Matiang'i said the country was still grappling with insecurity, citing terrorism, human trafficking, cattle rustling and cyber-crimes, despite spending billions on modernising police programmes.

"It is disheartening that five decades after independence, the police service has not managed to contain the issue of cattle rustling," he said.