The Government is marshalling its biggest security operation yet to man the repeat presidential elections and the KCSE examinations amidst soaring levels of tension in the country.
Although the number of officers that will be deployed is yet to be made public, indications are it will be more than 40,000.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) says it needs at least 80,000 security officers to man 40,883 polling centres, 290 constituency tallying centres and Bomas of Kenya. Some 615,773 candidates will be sitting KCSE examinations in 9,350 schools which will also require police protection with at least two officers assigned to each centre at each given time. This is expected to push the demand for security to the limit.
The National Police Service (NPS) which is mandated with providing security for these two events is expected to face logistical complexities.
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With the National Super Alliance (NASA) having called for what it terms the “mother of all demonstrations” on voting day, it is expected security forces will be over stretched.
The Police Service which has been under fire in the last few weeks due to extra judicial killings and excessive use of force on NASA demonstrators received a boost yesterday from President Uhuru Kenyatta.
While addressing the nation on Mashujaa Day the President warned that whoever will break the law will be met by the full force of the law.
“The security apparatus has been enhanced and appropriately deployed to maintain law and order. The law will apply equally to all regardless of social class, and no one will be spared,” he warned.
“Having had uninterrupted electoral cycle for the second time, my administration will not allow a repeat of the painful past where lives and properties were lost,” he said.
The officers started being moved to areas mapped out as hotspots this week with more expected to be deployed in due course.
These includes recruits from the Police Training College in Kiganjo, Administration Police Training College in Utawala and the Kenya Prisons College in Ruiru. They will also be boosted by officers from the General Service Unit (GSU).
The Inspector General Joseph Boinett however last month scaled down the number of officers attached to VIPs and re-deployed them to boost the expected shortfalls in the stations.
Among those who lost their bodyguards are NASA top brass. A group of 530 officers from the National Intelligence Service, Kenya Defence Forces, National Police Service, Kenya Forest Service, Kenya Prisons, Kenya Wildlife Service and National Youth Service are working on a coordinated approach to insecurity during this period.
The Ministry of Interior has been allocated an extra Sh6.9 billion in the Supplementary Budget to manage the election.
National Police Service has warned that it will not tolerate anyone who will attempt to prevent others from voting.
“Whereas it is the right of every citizen to participate or not to participate as a voter or candidate in an election, we wish to bring attention to the public that it is an offence under the country’s Election Offences Act to use force or violence to prevent another person from voting,” George Kinoti said on behalf of the IG.
Three governors in Luo Nyanza have said they will not allow voting to take place in their counties.
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