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Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki yesterday warned politicians against interfering in security matters.

Kindiki said there is a need to delink politics from security matters.

“We will not allow them to meddle with security matters. Law enforcement agencies must be allowed to do their work. Politicians who over the years have used banditry and livestock rustling as their political tool must know times have changed,” he said.

The CS pledged to streamline the recruitment of National Police Reservists (NPRs).

Speaking when he visited Namba and Kamenjo areas in Baringo North Sub-County, Kindiki said a clear operational command will be set up to ensure reservists are not sucked into local politics.

Thuggery

The new operational and structural design of NPRs, he said, will kick off this month to ensure the weapons they are allocated are not misused and that they are accountable.

“Their main work will be to help the Kenya Police Service and KDF soldiers seal off escape routes used by bandits because they have a better understanding of the terrain being locals,” he said.

He added: “There is no culture that allows people to steal other people’s livestock, kill innocent people and impoverish them. That is thuggery.”

The CS also asked residents affected by banditry to team up with the government to defeat the bandits.
He said significant strides have been made towards ending banditry.

“The officers we have deployed will be on the ground forever. This is not a one-off deployment. Banditry and livestock theft will be a thing of the past,” he said.

Discrimination

His statement come days after leaders from West Pokot County protested what they said was skewed deployment of the NPRS officers.

Addressing the press at Parliament buildings, the MPs accused the government of discrimination in allocation of officers, thereby exposing the Pokot to attacks by their neighbours.

Pokot South MP David Pkosing, Samuel Moroto (Kapenguria), Titus Lotee (Kacheliba), Peter Lokachapong (Sigor) and Woman Rep Rael Aleutum said they had raised the matter with President William Ruto in their meeting last month and he had promised to address their concerns but nothing had been done so far.

“The President assured us that Interior CS Kithure Kindiki will address the inequality by meeting us but one month later, the CS has never met us and our people are suffering,” said Pkosing.