The people's General is gone, where cometh another?

(Photo: Courtesy)

The sudden death of Interior Cabinet Secretary (Rtd) Major General Joseph Nkaissery ended the legacy of a man on whose shoulders a lot of expectation was put. Nkaissery was a man loved by all, a friend to both political divides. His tall frame, booming voice, clear and concise line of thought and articulation made him stand head and shoulders above those around him.

It is little wonder then that his name will live for long in the hearts and minds of Kenyans. He took over the interior docket at a time when public confidence in the ministry was at an all-time low. His predecessor, Joseph ole Lenku had a series of missteps and that had left many unsure of the ability of the then office holder to keep the country safe and make the centre hold.

On the morning of his appointment in December 2014, 36 quarry workers had just been massacred in Mandera. A week before that, 28 passengers, most of them school teachers in Kenya's volatile north on their way for the December holidays were dragged off a bus and murdered in cold blood. Nkaissery had been appointed at a time of war and he was charged with the arduous task of restoring peace.

Few among the political class distrusted his capacity, diligence and commitment to duty and the country needed a commanding figure in that office and he took it all in stride. Perhaps, a man of lesser character would have cowered and shrunk from the arduous task that lay ahead.

His nomination was endorsed by Kenyans of all walks of life — including his erstwhile ODM party from where he had been a long-serving "general" to CORD leader Raila Odinga's political career. "I will not let you down," he thundered in a staccato prose in his first press conference on the steps of Harambee House, hours after he was sworn in.
And he kept his word. Under his watch the number of terror attacks on the country he so loved reduced to an all-time 5-year low. Although during his reign the country encountered some setbacks like the bloody Garissa and El Adde terrorist attacks, it is on his shoulders that the country stood and soared like the proverbial phoenix that rose from the ashes after being put down severally.

When he spoke to reassure Kenyans after these unfortunate events it was clear that his belief percolated to those who worked under him and those who just knew of him. His conviction of the possibility of a safer Kenya became contagious and through his reassurances, we too came to believe that we were safe under his watch.

Arguably, the biggest battle for him as Internal Cabinet Secretary was to win the hearts and minds of Kenyans whose relationship with the security forces had grown distant. And on his first speech, he reached out to Kenyans to join him in the battle that lay ahead.

"It will require each and every one of us to address all the threats that impede Kenya from realising her dream. I will need every Kenyan to restore sustainable security to our country," he said.

But amid these seeming defeats, he also recorded his own victories. Under his watch several top Al Shabaab commanders were killed through joint operations by Kenya's security forces and other agencies.The security forces have been better armed, recruitment numbers in the police service have gone up and a series of institutional changes within the security forces are well under way.

Underneath the hard soldier's interior though lay a soft core. A core of a man who would not hesitate to put strangers through school. A core of a man who lived his life for those around him. Always lending an ear and reaching a hand out to pull up whoever was stuck in momentary mud.Nkaissery was a true African man who although firm, lived his life with an open palm.

In a previous interview with a local media house, Mwenda Njoka, spokesperson in the ministry of Interior summed up Nkaissery's tenure thus: "His tenure at the Interior docket has by and large struck the delicate balance between the competing needs placed on his shoulders. He is resolute in decision making, firm in implementation and committed to the task of securing the nation," Njoka said.

The General was 67 when he met his death in the early hours of Saturday. And as he rests in peace, it is tempting to think there shall be no other like him.

 Mr Curtis is a security analyst based in Nairobi