Nkaissery must pay greater heed to warnings of rising insecurity

The Interior Cabinet Secretary, General Joseph Nkaissery, must learn to walk before he starts running, or else he will stumble and fall.

The one before him could not see past his nose too; besides he was highly opinionated and simply dismissive of political leaders in matters under his docket.

Just like his other kin, the General trivialises matters of life and death, and feels Mandera County leaders are politicking regarding recent terror attacks.

He arrogantly dismissed the recent terrorist attack on Mandera Governor’s convoy in which three people died as the work of bandits. A bandit is an outlaw or a robber who lives by plunder, like cattle rustlers in his county.

The CS’s unwitty assertion implies it was such folks who perhaps wanted to rob the Governor; with a determination to attack his convoy that had two 4-WD vehicles packed with heavily armed police officers. It reminds me of the ‘burning mattresses’ balderdash of Westgate.

The retired military officer also contemptuously rubbished the threat to the Governor’s life, saying he is ‘just a Governor’ and that his ‘life was not more important than that of the other residents of the county’.

By implication then, all other national leaders, including himself and the President, should not get VIP protection because they are like everyone else.

Or perhaps leaders of Mandera are lesser mortals. The CS should appreciate that for the people of Mandera County, their Governor is the supreme elected leader, and head of their government.

He can belittle him at the risk of the utter indignation and condemnation of his voters. And slighting the Governor and trivialising the threat to his life is tantamount to insulting the dignity and honour of the people of Mandera. We take great exception as leaders too, and believe the CS owes residents of Mandera an apology.

In the past year, more than one hundred people have died in terrorist attacks in Mandera, including several from six terror attacks in the three months since his appointment. In spite of all these, he has not visited the area, and nor did the presidency, even at the height of gruesome massacres in December last year.

It is no secret that the general was misled by the county commissioner, whose sacking the leaders and residents of the county have demanded since the massacres.

The County Commissioner appears to be irredeemably prejudiced against the leadership of the county. A few weeks ago, he was transferred and days after his replacement reported, the move was reversed.

The CS told us in a meeting in his office that the transfer of the officer was cancelled on the instruction of his superiors. He indicated that he wasn’t amused by this intrusion into his docket and promised to follow up.

Two terror incidents later in which five lives were lost, the CS now claims the commissioner is competent, has full confidence in him and he will not be transferred. And that’s our concern: A newly appointed CS can speak from the two sides of his mouth in matters as serious as the lives of Kenyans!

Mandera is bleeding. Our economy is at standstill. Our children are out of school due to travel advisories. The town is under self-imposed curfew, for lack of security. And the government we elected cares less about our views; worse still, it insults our leaders.