Help speed up reform, police boss urges Cabinet

By Cyrus Ombati

Commissioner of Police Mathew Iteere has pleaded with the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) to prioritise reforms, arguing the changes would help improve economic performance.

Arguing his case at a Naivasha hotel on Thursday, Iteere told the council if police welfare would be looked into urgently, the economy would improve.

Sources at the six-hour meeting said his move is part of strategies he is adopting to win Government support to ensure the reforms do not fail.

"There is a perceived laxity in some Government quarters in reforming the force. That is why he is using all ways to ensure the opportunity we have is not lost," said a source who did not want to be named.

Nesc is a standing committee comprising of eminent persons with diverse experience, knowledge and skills. It provides expert advice on economic and social matters to the President and the Cabinet.

Monitor policies

The council is mandated to recommend changes in policy direction to the Cabinet in view of prevailing and prospective economic circumstances and trends. It also monitors and assesses progress and performance of Government programmes, activities and policies.

The council is in Naivasha to gather, analyse and compile information on economic development and trends before submitting the information and appropriate recommendations to the Cabinet.

Elsewhere, the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission Advisory Board has demanded urgent improvement of remuneration of police officers as part of the strategies to stem corruption in the force.

Board chairman Okongo Omogeni said police cannot effectively be involved in the war if they are poorly paid.

There are complaints the Government is not committed to implement a taskforce report on police reforms that made far reaching recommendations, last year.

This could be seen in last month’s Government failure to pay Sh400 million allowance to some officers.

Police Reforms Implementation Committee to review, identify quick wins and prioritise recommendation contained in the taskforce was inaugurated last year but it is yet to begin its work.

The report says Sh81.4 billion is required to implement tangible reforms in the forces.

The money will be used to install CCTV cameras, double the salaries of officers, review police laws, equip the force at large and operationalise the new structures that are proposed, among other uses.

More inspections

Meanwhile, fresh investigations have been opened into the discovery of more than 130,000 bullets and an assortment of military warehouse in Narok and Nairobi.

The investigations to be conducted jointly by officers from the military, Kenya Police and the Administration Police were launched after it emerged some of the seized weapons did not emanate from local security institutions as earlier believed.

But in the meantime, the prime suspect, a Narok businessman Ismail Muneer and for others accused of being in possession of the weaponry, will continue to face their charges in court, said a source.

The new team has inspected armoury registries of all security agencies.

The move came up after an earlier team that has been investigating the saga failed to establish the source of some Czech-made bullets seized in Narok last month.

This has elicited a blame game between police and AP. The last time Kenya imported bullets from Czech was in 1999.

Police bought two million bullets while AP acquired a million but through the police.