2013 presidential candidates unite in telling Uhuru to end insecurity

By Oscar Obonyo

Sunday, July 27th 2014

Nairobi, Kenya: Terror gangs and criminals have over the last one year claimed lives of hundreds of Kenyans, in acts that have left President Uhuru Kenyatta and the national security network grasping for solutions. That the President has engaged his mind on this battle and unleashed military apparatus, including members of the elite Kenya Defence Forces, is not in doubt. But some of those who challenged him for the presidential seat last year think otherwise. They spoke to The Standard on Sunday writer OSCAR OBONYO. Below are excerpts:

Raila Odinga, Coalition for Reforms and Democracy leader

The loss of lives of innocent Kenyans, including children, and related suffering, is beyond description. When tragedy hit Lamu, the President said there were people who slept on the job, but to date none of his senior officers has been charged in court. We are partly in this disturbing situation because we failed to fully execute some of the Agenda Four programmes born out of the former UN Secretary General Dr Kofi Annan peace agreement deal. Police Reforms was one such initiative which has not been executed fully. Before demanding proper security service from the police, we ought to have improved their living conditions with regard to housing and remuneration and then deal with indiscipline and corruption within.

If I had been sworn in as President in April last year, I would have addressed this issue politically. I mean political issues require political solutions and it is not enough to send military in some of these areas and hope that calm will return. There are many flash points across the country and Lamu is just one of them. Local leaders should be engaged in addressing the issues whether they are land related, a result of electoral representation or historical injustices. And of course I would have pulled our forces out of Somalia. This is the diplomatic practice world over – that a country that shares a border with another cannot take its forces to that state because of vested interests and security reasons. And as long as our forces remain in Somalia, we shall continue to suffer retaliatory attacks.

Amani leader Musalia Mudavadi

The state of insecurity is shocking and inconceivable. There seems to be freedom to maim Kenyans while security agencies look the other way.

Things have certainly gone wary within the security set-up in the country yet security is a national government function but no one is ready to own up to that responsibility.

The cat and mouse game at the Coast region, for instance, just doesn’t add up. I can’t imagine how the guys up there sleep each night. You almost feel there is a conspiracy within the security apparatus to let insecurity ran rampant to make a point; which point I don’t really know. It is inconceivable that things can be let to get so much out of hand without high echelons in security organs being wise to it. You sense desperation when the president becomes the poster boy on billboards. If I had been elected President, I would have revamped the security sector. To cater for the current spiral, I would have an inquiry to get new insight outside the chain of command. I would not be contended that hardware such as cars and IT will be the solution. Hardware is only useful if the software is correct. Additionally, I would not be dillydallying on creating the county security authorities as provided for by law. Crime is basically a youth problem since they are the frontline soldiers. In my manifesto, I promised Kenyans revamping of the security sector by addressing the root causes of insecurity such as unemployment and poverty through a massive and sustainable youth empowerment programme. This would have covered education, skills training and employment opportunities.

Peter Kenneth, leader of the Kenya National Congress

Insecurity is getting out of hand, not just because of terror attacks and radicalisation of the youth but common crimes have soared as well. And this is because we have not invested adequately in our security. This is the only country where, for instance, I have seen police officers carrying out night patrols on foot. How can such officers catch up with criminals doing their thing in fast moving cars?

In the 1970s, we had more police vehicles – all in working condition – assigned for each divisional headquarters. We have since retrogressed as there are fewer vehicles today serving a much larger population. If I had been elected President, my immediate solution to the mess would have been to stamp my authority as Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces. A show of might – even for the benefit of the international community, is critical. It is unfortunate that after Lamu there have been more killings in the area, including killing of tourists. And our intelligence agency and forces act more like post-mortem organs. The sporadic killings of our people and guests, is truly unfortunate.

James ole Kiyiapi, Restore and Rebuild Kenya (RRK) party leader

I am an angry citizen. When we ran for the presidency last year, we all promised Kenyans better life but now we are faced with an insidious and complex issue of insecurity, and we are collectively doing nothing about it. People are dying randomly everywhere and most Kenyans are no longer sure of their own lives.

If nothing else unites us as a people, this one must. This is because it is neither a Jubilee nor CORD issue. It is not even about dialogue or referendum, or leaving it to the heavily partisan Parliament. The President must call all of us, including church and other opinion leaders to chart the way forward. It is a matter that cannot wait for another two months. The President owes it to all Kenyans and not Jubilee, to give this matter the urgency it deserves.

If I had been elected President in March, I would have first dealt with the discordant approach to security matters. There is obviously no clear chain of command and operational mechanisms. I would have made sure by now that the agencies charged with the security duties are enabled to function effectively. I would have mapped hotspots and dealt with corruption because this cancer undermines everything including security.