DCP Eusebious Laibuta warns Kavuludi panel that police officers may commit suicide if sacked after vetting

Deputy Commandant of Administration police Mr Eusebius Laibuta is vetted at the Skypark building on Saturday, January 11. [PHOTO: COLLINS KWEYU/STANDARD]

BY ISAAC MESO

NAIROBI, KENYA: The final day  of vetting Deputy commissioners of police (DCP) on Saturday was marked with intrigue and drama as Eusebious Laibuta Deputy commandant  of Administration Police  pleaded with the vetting  panel not  to drop  him  as some of them might  contemplate suicide  considering the many years they have been serving in the service.

Laibuita had a hard time explaining to the panel where he acquired his wealth when it was revealed that he had omitted to submit back statements of other back accounts that were in his possession.

Laibuta also could not ascertain the yearly income his 3 acre tea farm attracted casting doubts whether he was telling the truth concerning his source of wealth before the panel.

“I am pleading with the vetting panel to be lenient when passing out judgement over our suitability to continue serving in the service considering that some of us have served in the service for a very long time”

Laibuta  who has been in the service for 34 years  was put  to task to explain himself over allegations of him being a police commissioner who was non-active  in improving  welfare of officers  especially those  posted in remote areas.

Johnston Kavuludi, Chairman of the Vetting panel, requested Laibuita to present bank statement of the accounts he had not submitted to the panel by Monday cautioning him of the implications of not abiding to the instructions as had been indicated in the wealth declaration form.

Issues of drug peddling and substance abuse in the coastal region also took centre stage when DCP, Kingori Mwangi (Police Reforms) and DCP,  Aggrey Adoli (Coast) were invited before the panel.

Former provincial commissioner and a member of the vetting panel, Joseph Kaguthi, put to task Mr Kingori to respond to reports that during his tenure as Provincial Police Officer (PPO) at the coast senior police officials were in the payrolls of drug barons and thus being an impediment to fight against drug abuse at the coast.

Mr Kingori was asked to respond to reports over tension that had built up between officers from the Administration police and Kenya police that led to the murder of two Kenya Police officers by their counterparts from the Administration Police at the coast.

However Kingori refuted this reports saying that the problem of drugs and substance abuse was a societal problem that had been fuel by poverty and that even transfer of senior police officers who were suspected to be corrupt could not help solve the problem.

 

“The issue of drug abuse at the coast need to be dealt with holistically. It is more of a social problem and we can’t pin this on law enforcement agencies since police officers have been at the forefront in fighting drug peddling street ‘in every coastal street” said Kingori

Kingori also defended himself over claims that corruption by senior police officials during his tenure as the coastal PPO was the cause of tension between the AP and the administration police

“When the murder of the two police officers happened, I had already been transferred to Western region. I think this question should be directed to the then PPO Mr Leonard Nyongesa” he said

The Deputy Commissioner in charge of police reforms was also asked to explain why there was slow pace in police reforms despite the government efforts to fast track reforms in the service through funding and launching various projects such as the Nyumba Kumi project and community policing.

The vetting  board also noted a disconnect between the public  and police officers which has been the main reason for the failure of community policing which was meant to bridge this gap and perception of  police towards the public.

Coastal DCP, Aggrey Adoli had a hard time explaining what law enforcement agencies were  doing to reduce the rising cases of drug peddling and mushrooming of drug barons at the coast

Adoli said that they had done everything at their capability to fight the issue of drug abuse but funding from government is what was derailing the process.

“We need funding to increase infrastructure that we may use to fight drug peddling at the coast. We require speed boats to flash out drug barons in the deeper sea where they transact their businesses but without funding this cannot happen” he said

Kavuludi said that the results of the vetting would be released in 10 days’ time and their judgement would be in accordance with what they gathered from the vetting process.