Strategy to defuse poll violence launched in top security meeting

Scenes during post-election violence in Kawangware, Nairobi on October 27, 2017. [File, Standard]

The government has started putting in place security measures to defuse chaos in next year’s General Election.

This was revealed yesterday during a security meeting held in Nairobi which brought together regional and county commissioners from all counties.

The administrators were told by Interior Security Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i to start preparing grounds earlier enough to avoid instability.

Among other issues that the county commissioners were expected to focus on are enforcement of Covid-19 protocols, progress on Huduma Namba distribution, handling political gatherings and rising criminal gangs.

Maitiang’i, who presided over the meeting at Kabete’s Kenya School of Government, told the county commissioners that this is the right time to plan how to tame elections violence.

The CS, who chaired the closed-door meeting, cited some cases witnessed during the recent by-elections, thus making earlier preparations is of essence.

“Police will also have their meeting in two weeks and before July, all our organs will have a joint meeting in the countdown to 2022 in terms of deployment, mapping the country to be sure that we remain peaceful and stable,” he said.

“I call upon the county commissioners to start looking out for leadership of various segments of the community, including church, youth and others and encourage debates and conversation on this exercise,” he added.

The leaders said there is need to focus energies not just in enforcement but socialising with people on having peaceful and meaningful process, with CS proposing 50 per cent cut on use of force during electioneering.

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