Top officers assure President security now ‘manageable’

Police participants at a Nairobi hotel yesterday during a UN consultative forum on gender mainstreaming on the standing orders of the National Police Service. [PHOTO: COLLINS KWEYU/STANDARD]

By CYRUS OMBATI

Kenya: President Uhuru Kenyatta chaired his first National Security Council meeting in Nairobi to discuss among other issues the rate of insecurity in the country.

The President was briefed on the state of security by top officials during a three-hour meeting at State House.

Officials aware of the meeting said the President ordered security chiefs to work around the clock to contain the situation since development of the country was dependent on safety.

It is understood that National Police Service Inspector General David Kimaiyo, Chief of Kenya Defence Forces Gen Julius Karangi and National Intelligence Service Director General Michael Gichangi gave information on the state of security of the country insisting the situation is manageable.

Kimaiyo told the meeting he had asked National Police Service Commission to establish County Policing Authority.

This will be a command that will include County Kenya Police Service Commanding Officers, County Administration Police Commanding Officers and Criminal Investigations Officers.

Muigia too is said to have updated the meeting on issues of immigration and drug trafficking cases, especially those involving foreigners, some of whom are targeted for arrest and deportation.

The council is the top most security organ that exercises supervisory control over national security structures. It assesses and appraises the objectives, commitments and risks to the republic with respect to actual and potential national security capabilities and shall report annually to Parliament on the state of the security in the country.

It also integrates domestic, foreign and military policies relating to national security in order to enable related organs to co-operate and function effectively.  It is understood the summoning of the meeting informed the President’s move to appoint on interim basis Attorney General Githu Muigai as the acting Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Coordination of National Government.

The last time the council met was the first Tuesday of February.  Cabinet secretaries present were for Rachael Omamo (Defence), Amina Mohamed (Foreign Affairs), Interior and Coordination of National Government represented by Muigai and the Chief of Kenya Defence Forces Gen Julius Karangi.