Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo at his office at Harambee House Nairobi, on December 20, 2023.
Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has given a detailed plan of what the ministry is doing to secure the country. He said the government has a comprehensive plan to ensure that the crime rate continues to fall.
The PS spoke to the media on January 1, on a wide range of issues as he revealed several plans that the government is making to ensure that the country is safe.
He expressed confidence that the security apparatuses already in place and those in the pipeline will boost the country's security status.
Excerpt of the interview:
National Police Service
Q: In a 2022 report, Missing Voices documented 130 cases of police killings and 22 cases of enforced disappearances, bringing the total to 152. This compares to 186 cases of police killings and 36 cases of enforced disappearances in 2021, indicating a 30.1 percent decrease in police killings and a 38 percent decrease in enforced disappearances. This is an overall decrease of 31.5 percent. What do you think explains this?
The last quarter of 2022 (October to December) had the lowest number of disappearances at three. The Kenya Kwanza administration has continuously demonstrated political goodwill for the effective and efficient delivery of police services. This goodwill, particularly from President William Ruto, has contributed to the reduction of cases of police brutality and excesses.
The work of oversight bodies such as the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), National Police Service (NPS), Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has also helped in reshaping the image and performance of the police.
Q: How is the government preparing for the festive season, especially in terms of preventing and combating criminal gangs that target Kenyans during this time?
The ministry and the NPS have prepared an elaborate security operations plan for the festive season and have activated inter-agency command centers in all counties. Road accidents are high on the agenda as officers try to curb the vice of reckless driving.
Q: What are the trends and patterns of crime in Kenya and how do they relate to the socio-economic conditions of the population?
The consumption and trafficking of illicit brews and third-generation liquor continues to be a major area of concern that continues to affect our workforce, especially our valued workers. Some 8,463 people were arrested last year and over Sh1.7 million litres were netted.
Migori, Nairobi and Nakuru topped the domestic and gender-based violence index with 7,146 cases reported during the year. Women in blue-collar jobs are routinely affected.
It is also disheartening to see a significant number of juveniles involved in criminal activities, with 9,369 arrests for drug-related offenses and 1,113 suspects caught in organized criminal gangs. Another 198 juveniles were arrested for student unrest and fire incidents in educational institutions.
Northern Fissure
Q: How effective have the security operations in the Rift Valley been and what are the indicators of their success, if any?
The government, through Operation Komesha Uhalifu North Rift, has deployed and sustained a multi-agency operation consisting of National Government Administration Officers (NGAO), National Police Service formed units and Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) which identified parts of six counties including Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot, Samburu, Turkana and Laikipia as restive and dangerous.
The area has been pacified; 26,968 stolen cattle have been recovered; 148 illegal firearms have been recovered; and others have been voluntarily surrendered. Increased security has facilitated the reconstruction and reopening of schools.
National Police Reservists have been recruited and given specialized training to complement special units deployed to combat banditry and cattle rustling in the region.
Border Security
Q: What are the security implications of the President's announcement of visa-free travel to Kenya?
Several other countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Seychelles have successfully implemented visa-free regimes. This will essentially make it easier for foreign tourists to visit Kenya. There will be a need to fully digitise immigration processes and integrate border services to - increase efficiency, - enhance security measures, - facilitate a streamlined travel experience, and - ensure compliance with international standards and promote national security.
Q: How is the government addressing concerns about possible infiltration by fugitives, money launderers and other transnational criminals?
This is being addressed through advance passenger screening using the Electronic Travel Authorisation. Advance Passenger Screening (APS) is a critical component of modern border management that checks passenger information, including travel history, biographical data and other relevant details, against security databases before they even enter the country.
Using advanced technology, we are also in the process of procuring facial recognition scanners for our entry and exit points.
Terrorism
Q: Terrorism especially in the northeast and part of the coast, what's the situation and is there a sign of an end to it?
Some 82 incidents have been reported. The government's sustained counter-terrorism efforts have disrupted several al-Shabaab attack plans. In addition, Kenya's continued participation in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and intensified counter-terrorism operations along the Kenya-Somalia border have helped to contain the al-Shabaab threat. In addition, multi-agency counterterrorism initiatives and enhanced community cooperation have resulted in the arrest of 39 terror suspects who are currently being prosecuted.
To fully address the dynamic and complex nature of terrorism, we also established the Regional Counter-Terrorism Training Center at the Kanyonyoo Border Police Unit in Kitui, which offers a wide range of courses and advanced tactical operations and is also intended to bring together other security agencies from neighbouring countries to provide relevant fundamentals for joint operational consultation.
Cyber Crime
Q: How is the government protecting the digital infrastructure from cyber-attacks, and what are the challenges and opportunities in this area?
Kenya has developed and is implementing the National Cyber Security Strategy, which guides efforts to secure our digital infrastructure and addresses emerging threats in the cyber domain.
Recently, we presented the legislative framework for the Critical Information Infrastructure and Cybercrime Management Regulations, 2023 to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications, Information and Innovation.
The regulations aim to better protect our critical information infrastructure and provide proactive monitoring, detection and response approaches for public and private entities to manage cybercrime.
The National Critical Information Infrastructure is protected by the National Cybercrime Coordination Committee, an interagency organization.
Inadequate public and business awareness of cybersecurity and evolving cyber threats are the greatest challenges, but also the greatest opportunities for capacity building and innovation.
Budget
Q: How will the Ministry of Interior utilize and prudently so the Sh182.5 billion allocated to it for the fiscal year 2023-2024, and what are the priorities and expected outcomes of its projects?
The priorities of the national security sector were catalogued in the 2023/24 budget, with a focus on securing Kenya's development environment. The Ministry of Internal Security has been allocated Sh28.2 billion.
Significant funding has been earmarked for – the modernisation of equipment in the National Police Service - the construction and operationalisation of National Government Administration Offices - capacity building of NGAOs and the acquisition of modern equipment for the Kenya Coast Guard.
National Government Administration Offices (NGAOs)
Q: You have invested your time as part of President Ruto's agenda to digitise the operations of NGAOs in monitoring government projects. How is this endeavour going and is it helping to provide useful data in the implementation of the program?
In line with the government's digitisation programme, in November 2023, I launched "Project BETA", a digital reporting and monitoring tool that will assess and track the implementation, progress and performance of national government development projects, priority programs, presidential directives and crime statistics in the country through the NGAO system, focusing on the lowest administrative unit, the sub-location, cascading up to the region level.
Project BETA will be able to evaluate ongoing projects and the progress achieved while analysing budget allocations and actual expenditures in the various regions and districts. The system also has the capacity to evaluate delayed projects and provide feedback on implementation challenges.
Similarly, as chairpersons of the respective security and intelligence committees at the regional and county levels, the regional and county commissioners are expected to filter crime statistics at all levels on a real-time dashboard for easy response.
Q: Still on NGAOs, there have been cries of poor support for chiefs, their assistants and village elders. Do you have a plan to better empower them, improve their scheme of service and even arm them to better promote security and order in their areas of jurisdiction?
Aware of the large number of chiefs and assistants, the government has continued to work towards institutionalising and strengthening these administrators: In 2014/2015, the Government provided them with 4,000 motorcycles to facilitate their movement.
Plans are underway to procure an additional 5,000 motorcycles in the 2024/2025 budget and an additional 10,000 motorcycles per year for the following two years.
Chiefs and their Assistants receive field allowances (Sh30,000 for Chiefs; and Sh15,000 for Assistant Chiefs) to enable them fuel their motorcycles, buy stationery and other related operations.
The Service Scheme for Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs has been revised to enhance career progression and expanded to include the position of Principal Chief. To date, we have 27 Principal Chiefs out of the 47 authorised.
Discussions are underway to ensure that the police provide continuous support to the Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs in the performance of their duties.
With regard to village elders, efforts are being made to develop a policy framework for their engagement. This will include consideration of how they are engaged and remunerated. This ongoing discourse is aimed at amending various pieces of legislation, including the Chiefs Act and the National Government Coordination Act 2013.
