Why is there great risk in devolving security?

The worst in the 2010 Constitution was/is the cannibalism of the republic into 47 “tribal” county governments. Kenya and Kenyans shall never be the same again.

Kenyans will attend kindergarten, primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, get employed, retire, do business, marry, die, get buried in their respective counties. A paltry five years into the new Constitution can attest to the trend.

A Kikuyu from Kiambu County cannot be employed or get tenders in Nyeri County. A Luo in Siaya cannot do the same in Homa Bay County.

The Turkana, Giriama, Tchoni, Teso, Bajuni, Kipsigi, Ogiek, Masaai and so on cannot dream of getting employment other than in their own counties.

As these phobias continue to entrench themselves in counties, some power hungry governors and senators keep on pestering the Government and Transition Authority to devolve security function. You cannot devolve police and security organs fully without the powers to hire.

Once that is accomplished, governors will do what they have all perfected: employ the police and other security organs based on clannism, tribalism, nepotism and ‘countysm’. God knows what could happen when tribal and inter-county clashes break out with police and other security organs sent to quell the clashes being from the same warring tribes.

I hail from Miwani-Chemase-Kibigori-Chemelil sugar belt where locals entered the new year with inter-communal clashes that has left several people killed and property worth millions destroyed. None other than Nyanza Regional Co-ordinator Dominic Mutie correctly termed the clashes political but coated as cattle-rustling.

The conflict could have been worse if police and other security organs had been devolved.